February 1, 2012 just after 8 am Amtrak train 351 rounds a curve near Leoni, Michigan and the engineer puts the brakes in emergency and hits the floor. Blocking the train's path at a crossing is a low boy trailer hauling machinery and it's not moving. Upon impact the trailer is destroyed, the locomotive and two cars are derailed and heavily damaged. The miracle is that there were no serious injuries. The truck driver and several Amtrak passengers were taken to a local hospital, treated and released.

The truck was en-route from New York to a local business to make a delivery. The driver was reportedly following the routing on his in-cab GPS. The crossing had just enough of a hump to bottom out the trailer and the driver was unable to move in either direction. The driver was in the tractor attempting to move the unit when the impact occurred.

Of course, if the driver had been pulling a dry van the trailer wouldn't have hung up and the accident wouldn't have happened. Also, since he was pulling a low clearance trailer, the driver should have taken the precaution of stopping to assess the situation before crossing the tracks. You may argue that it was the driver's failure to follow safe operating practices that caused this accident. But it does point out the need to ask the question “where does GPS fit in and how should it be used?”

As the price of GPS units dropped they became increasingly popular. You can even get the service on a cell phone eliminating the need to buy a separate unit. GPS units for the trucking industry appeared to satisfy the need for truck-specific routing. But the question of just how accurate they are remains.

It's not likely that the trucker GPS units are aware of every truck restriction in Chicago. It's doubtful that the unit is aware of every low underpass in Fort Wayne, Indiana. And they certainly don't have information about the profile of railroad crossings. Is it a valuable tool or is it just as likely to lead a driver into a bad situation?

Some companies have decided to ban in-cab GPS systems. Instead they rely on the tried and true method of phoning the customer and obtaining directions. In most cases this works since the customers are used to shipping and receiving by truck and know the local area. But not all companies are this disciplined and they leave the routing up to the driver. Very few shipping documents contain customer contact phone numbers so the driver decides to let the GPS navigate.

On the plus side GPS does have its advantages. Drivers will tell you that there's no better way to locate a street or your next turn than GPS. Even if you have directions from the customer it's still difficult to know how far ahead the next turn is. It's difficult to see street signs at night or in bad weather. And then there's the problem of street signs behind trees or even missing. If you miss a turn in a car it's an inconvenience. If you miss a turn in a big truck it's a real problem.

There are no one-size fits all answer although FMCSA is working on a rule that will cover in-cab electronic devices. No one knows what devices and activities will be regulated. Meanwhile it's best for each motor carrier to devise its own policy based on how it operates, the areas it serves, and the general location of its customers. In this case the driver's use of GPS will certainly be a topic of discussion raised by plaintiff's attorneys as will the motor carrier's policy or lack of one.