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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION establishing the Commercial Motor Vehicle 1
Task Force. 2
WHEREAS, in 2024, there were 707 total Kentucky roadway fatalities and 82 of 3
those fatal crashes involved a commercial motor vehicle (CMV); and 4
WHEREAS, in 2024, there were 3,434 Kentucky roadway crashes involving a 5
CMV that were attributed to driver inattention and distraction, which includes cell phone 6
use, looking away from the road, daydreaming, and looking at roadside events; and 7
WHEREAS, failure to yield was involved in over 807 Kentucky CMV crashes in 8
2024. At highway speeds, a CMV failing to yield when merging, changing lanes, or 9
entering traffic creates catastrophic consequences; and 10
WHEREAS, mechanical failures contributed to over 200 serious truck crashes in 11
2024 with tire blowouts and brake failures as the leading mechanical causes; and 12
WHEREAS, driver behavior, mechanical failures, and motor carrier negligence are 13
the primary causes of crashes involving CMVs; and 14
WHEREAS, on July 20, 2025, one such tragic crash occurred when Tristan 15
Markese York, a vibrant 16 year old from Berea, was killed in a traffic catastrophe when 16
a semi-truck rearended the pickup truck driven by his fathe r, throwing Tristan from the 17
vehicle. The impact also severely injured his father and sister. The investigation 18
following the accident showed that the semi -truck driver did not engage his brakes prior 19
to the accident; and 20
WHEREAS, the passing of Tristan Ma rkese York Brown demonstrates that 21
oversight of CMVs is a critical step to ensuring the safety of everyone on the road; 22
NOW, THEREFORE, 23
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 24
Kentucky, the House of Representatives concurring therein: 25
Section 1. The Legislative Research Commission shall establish the 26
Commercial Motor Vehicle Task Force. The task force shall study and make 27
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recommendations regarding: 1
(1) Driver-related causes of CMV crashes, including inattention, distraction, 2
fatigue, hours of service violations, failure to yield, improper clearance, and drug 3
impairment; 4
(2) Commercial motor vehicle mechanical failures; 5
(3) Motor carrier negligence; 6
(4) Roadside screening and enforcement tools; 7
(5) Multistate, cross-sector safety partnerships; and 8
(6) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration research and implementation 9
updates. 10
Section 2. The task force shall be composed of the following members, with 11
final membership of the task force being subject to the consideration and approval of the 12
Legislative Research Commission: 13
(1) Four members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, one of 14
whom shall be designated by the President of the Senate as a co-chair of the task force; 15
(2) Four members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of 16
the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated by the Speaker of the 17
House of Representatives as a co-chair of the task force; 18
(3) One member of the Senate, appointed by the Minority Floor Leader of the 19
Senate; 20
(4) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Minority 21
Floor Leader of the House of Representatives; 22
(5) The executive director of the Office of Highway Safety or the executive 23
director's designee; 24
(6) The co mmander of the Department of Kentucky State Police Division of 25
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement or the commander's designee; and 26
(7) One member representing the motor carrier industry, appointed jointly by the 27
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Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate. 1
Section 3. The task force shall meet as necessary during the 2026 Interim of the 2
General Assembly. The task force shall submit findings and recommendations to the 3
Legislative Research Commission for referral to the appropriate committee or committees 4
by December 1, 2026. 5
Section 4. Provisions of this Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the 6
Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alter natively assign the 7
issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof, and to 8
designate a study completion date. 9