Bridging the Gap Between Law Enforcement and Trucking

Led by Drivewyze’s Mark Savage, ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board Takes Action

If you watch old-time trucking movies like Smokey and the Bandit, law enforcement and trucking is depicted as compatible as oil and water. And, for a long while, that wasn’t far from the truth.

Today, we’re witnessing a transformative shift in the trucking industry. Drivers, fleets, and law enforcement have not only gotten to know each other better but have also fostered improved collaboration. This dynamic shift in the way we work together holds the promise of creating safer roadways for everyone involved.

One new way helping to bridge safety between trucking and law enforcement is a group called the American Trucking Association’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board (LEAB). Formed in 2021, ATA’s LEAB advises the ATA Federation on strategies to grow and strengthen relationships between the trucking industry and law enforcement organizations across the country. The 27-person group are all ATA members with previous experience in federal, state, or local law enforcement.

LEAB features three members from Drivewyze: Mark Savage, Director of Connected Truck Solutions, Marc Nichols, Director of Government and Industry Relations, and John Samis, Program Liaison for the Government Experience Team. Before joining Drivewyze, all three had distinguished careers in law enforcement. If you combine their law enforcement service time, it’s close to 100 years.

Mark has just started his stint as LEAB chairman and will serve for two-years in that capacity. “Highway safety is something we’re all passionate about and why we all want to serve on the board,” said Mark. “Throughout my career spanning both law enforcement and the private sector in trucking, I’ve come to appreciate the synergy that exists between these two professional communities. When we combine forces, we have an enormously positive impact on highway safety, and I’m honored to now assume the chairman’s role to foster that kind of cooperation at the highest levels.”

Keep in mind, service on the board is all voluntary and giving time is something more important than drawing a stipend. “It really is,” said Marc. “All three of us want to make a difference in making trucking safer. Since we’ve been on both sides of the fence – Mark and John were even past presidents of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) – it shows we’re willing to step up to bridge the gap between law enforcement and trucking. And since we work at Drivewyze and have a close relationship with our customers – both fleet and government – we feel we are their advocates. Making their voices heard.”

Added John: “We always encourage fleets to interact with law enforcement at the local level,” he said. “When I was in law enforcement in Delaware, we worked closely with fleets – going out to their facility to talk with drivers…showing them what they could expect during a roadside inspection as an example. This helped take the fear factor away from drivers. They would know what we were doing, and why, and that we weren’t ‘bad guys’ wanting to write a ticket. This was impactful, and I always suggest fleets talk with their local highway patrol. Get to know them and invite them to your facility to talk with drivers. It does make a difference.”

When it comes to the “big picture,” the LEAB meets every two months to discuss topics and current issues, and leadership meets with ATA frequently to advise and consult on issues. They also talk with state trucking associations.

So, what are the hot topics for the LEAB? “Safe parking is still a big concern, so efforts in that area are on-going,” said Mark. “Last year it was top of our list and I’m happy to report that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently provided $292 million to bolster parking through four different projects.”

“Still more needs to be done — the parking problem can’t be underestimated,” added Marc. “We still have trucks parking on the side of ramps because there are no spaces available. That creates a security and safety problem and it’s an especially big issue with female drivers. In addition, it can lead to cargo theft.”

And cargo theft just happens to be another big topic for the LEAB. “It’s a significant and complex issue,” said Mark. “It’s vastly underreported, but we know the cost is in the billions. There are advancements in technology to help curtail the problem, but cargo theft can start on the brokerage side and hit at a terminal, or it can hit out on the road. As I said, it’s complex and it will take a multi-prong approach to help solve it.”

Two other initiatives are also front-and-center for the board: human trafficking and predatory towing.

While groups such as Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) are making great strides in helping to identify and report traffickers (more than 1.7 million truckers have been trained by TAT) trafficking it still is an ongoing problem. TAT has been instrumental in raising awareness within the trucking industry and empowering drivers to be vigilant against human trafficking. But the scale and complexity of the problem means continued dedication and collaboration across various sectors is needed. It’s essential to remain vigilant and proactive in addressing the causes and contributing factors to eradicate human trafficking from its roots. In the coming year, the LEAB will explore various opportunities that will address the problem. 

When it comes to predatory towing, the board hopes to curtail what is often considered opportunistic gouging. It causes undue financial strains for both fleets and owner-operators. “In my time as a state trooper I covered many crashes involving trucks, and I will acknowledge that they are certainly more involved and complex than just cars,” said Mark. “Unfortunately, some folks in the towing industry have taken advantage of this and charged excessive rates.”

In 2024 the LEAB is committed to identifying state and local solutions. This may involve implementing regulations or policies to prevent predatory towing practices and ensure fair treatment of individuals in need of towing services. Collaborating with stakeholders, including towing companies, insurance providers, and government agencies, can contribute to the development of comprehensive solutions to curb predatory towing and protect consumers from unjust practices in the towing industry.

Technology: Helping Fleets; Helping Law Enforcement

One big change that has helped create more unison between fleets and law enforcement is technology. “The new tools available now really help fleets and in turn help enforcement,” said Marc. “Younger drivers, and those working with fleets are especially IT savvy and not intimidated in trying something new. It’s why all three of us are so sold on the innovative technology Drivewyze brings to table. It places safety as a priority and helps drivers, fleets and law enforcement.”

“Exactly,” said John. “Take weigh station bypass for example. At the beginning, many old-school law enforcement officers weren’t so sure of our technology and how it could help at weigh stations – they wanted to inspect vehicles and didn’t want to bypass any trucks. But they’ve come around to understand how weigh station bypass allows them to spend more time inspecting vehicles that truly do need inspecting. So, it’s been a win-win.”

And safety behind the wheel has progressed greatly. “I really think the safety in-cab alerts and advisories Drivewyze offers makes a great impact,” said Mark. “And now — and I’m so proud of this — they’re totally free through Drivewyze Free. During our collective careers in law enforcement, we’ve seen shattered lives while investigating rollovers involving a truck. It’s the leading cause of truck driver casualties. And we’ve seen trucks that have rear-ended other vehicles when they’ve come upon a sudden slowdown on the interstate – they simply didn’t have enough time to stop.”

“Slowing down is the key,” added Marc. “Technology is here to help that happen through in-cab alerts. We encourage everyone to take advantage of Drivewyze Free. It will help drivers become safer behind the wheel and save lives on the road. And as a former law enforcement officer, I can tell you that’s what it’s all about.”

Meet Your Safety Advocates:

Mark Savage: mark.savage@drivewyze.com

Mark is the Director of Connected Truck Solutions for Drivewyze. He retired from the Colorado State Patrol in 2020 after serving 26 years and obtaining the rank of deputy chief. Mark worked in the State Patrol’s field operations and Executive Security Unit but focused the majority of his career on improving commercial vehicle safety.

Mark has a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Coe College in Iowa and is a graduate of the 256th Session of the FBI’s National Academy. Mark also is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command session #304 and the 63rd Session of the Senior Management in Police training at Boston University.

Marc Nichols: MNichols@drivewyze.com

Marc is the Director of Government and Industry Relations for Drivewyze. He retired from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) after achieving the rank of Major. His service spanned more than 30 years and focused exclusively on special operations and motor carrier enforcement.

As Major with the NCSHP, Marc was a member of the command staff and was assigned to supervise special units that worked in conjunction with the DEA, US Marshalls Service, and the Violent Crimes & Domestic Terrorism task force with the FBI.

Marc is a graduate of Central Piedmont College, Mitchell College, Federal Bureau of Investigation (LEADS) and North Carolina Central University SMP, and the Executive Leadership Program at North Carolina State University. Outside of Drivewyze, Marc currently serves as a special deputy with the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, and he is also the Chair of Public Safety for the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission.

John Samis: john.samis@drivewyze.com

John is a Program Liaison for the Government Experience Team at Drivewyze and has over 30 years of experience in traffic safety. Twenty-nine of those years were with the Delaware State Police as a State Trooper. He spent his last 15 years with the State Police managing the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Program. He was involved with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) where he was a member of the Board of Directors for over a decade and CVSA President for two years.  

John has a criminal justice degree from West Chester University.  He is a graduate of U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s Narcotics Investigator School and is a certified expert witness in drug identification. He is also a graduate of the Delaware State Police Leadership Development Program.