Lewis Grill

Since 1968, I have worked in the trucking industry as a truck driver, owner operator, truck driver-training instructor, truck driver training program director, and as a consultant for motor carriers and truck driving schools. I am currently licensed and certified as a commercial driver for tractor-trailer with endorsements for hazardous materials, tank truck, double triple trailers, passenger carriage, and school bus, I am certified for air brake inspection and repair, and certified for operation of Longer Combination Vehicles (LCVs). I am also certified as a Pilot/Escort Driver for Oversize and Supersize Loads of extreme weight dimension, and I have a Transportation Worker Identification Credential issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

I have logged approximately two million miles driving tractor-trailers in all 48 states, eight (8) Canadian Provinces, Alaska north of the Arctic Circle, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Central America. I am currently an independent trucker with USDOT registration and operating authority. I drive tractor-trailers in interstate operations for thousands of miles each year in the normal course of my work, with attention on special operations, including video recording of thousands of miles of various terrain, visibility, weather, and lighting conditions from the truck driver's point-of-view, comprising a special 4-year project to capture the essence of trucking for arts and sciences. My driving experience includes operating tractor-trailers according to reenactment protocol for accredited institutions, and under the direction of forensic engineers, for the purpose of accident reconstruction, visibility studies, transportation research projects, pedagogical research, SAE Papers, videography for film and television, and accident investigation intended for court testimony.

I have assisted in the production of more than a dozen instructional videos and multimedia training modules for truck drivers. My background in photography, cinematography, and audio/video recording extends over 40 years, and includes numerous works on trucking and commercial motor transportation that have appeared in national advertising, books, and magazines, and national television. I have written more than 15 books and hundreds of articles on trucking, truck driving, and heavy equipment operation.

I have made guest speaker appearances as a truck driver-training expert for the nation's leading trucking industry associations and organizations. My name has frequently appeared in trucking trade publications and various media in the context of being a knowledgeable, expert and authoritative source on matters relating to truck driving and truck driver training. In 2007 I was featured in a trucking segment on the Discovery Channel.

During the course of my experience, I have accumulated 29 years experience as a truck driving instructor, truck driving program director, and truck driving curricula designer. I am the founder of The SAGE Corporation, which operates truck driver training programs in more than thirty locations nationwide. I developed and designed truck driver training curriculum, provided consulting services for fleets, industry, and government, managed a fleet of tractor-trailers and 180 truck driving instructors, served as liaison to the U.S. DOT, and supervised special training programs under U.S. DOT contracts and government grants, including FMCSA's research demonstration project, "Fostering a Safety Culture in Motor Carriers," which focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of fostering development of a safety culture in new entrant motor carriers.

I founded the Atlantic Pacific Resource Group where I have developed and produced motor carrier management and truck driver training material, truck accident analysis and trucking litigation consulting, special truck driving assignments, transportation study research projects. I conducted research development and provided recommendations for rule making on a special USDOT project to study its Hazardous Materials Safety Permit (HMSP) program for motor carriers in response to a Congressional mandate.[1] In March 2014, the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Transportation provided a report on the study to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.

I am also involved in consulting on USDOT/FMCSA initiatives regarding FMCSA's Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for mandatory training and testing of new entrant motor carriers, and mandatory training requirements for entry-level drivers prior to CDL testing. These are in support of the MAP-21/ P.L. 112-141 requirement signed into law by the President in July 2012 for FMCSA to issue regulations establishing minimum training standards for CDL entry-level driver training.

I am currently performing research and analysis on the impact of foreign driving cultures on CMV crashes in the United States, involving CMV drivers exclusively practiced in foreign driving cultures that are inconsistent with United States driving norms, safe practices, and laws. I am undertaking this goal by operating CMVs throughout the European Union and the eastern countries of the former Soviet Bloc.[2]

I have comprehensive experience in mining and construction industries relative to equipment operation and workplace procedures. My education, training and experience include managing motor fleet safety programs, accident investigation, and traffic accident reconstruction.

I have training and experience in truck accident investigation, vehicle dynamics, and accident reconstruction, including advanced accident reconstruction – utilizing human factors research, heavy truck vehicle accident reconstruction, and pedestrian motor vehicle accident reconstruction. I have testified in litigation matters in Federal and State courts where I have qualified as an expert concerning safe operation of commercial motor vehicles and the standard of care of commercial vehicle operators and motor carriers in the courts of AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY, and Guam.

[1] Section 33014 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) requires the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct a study of the implementation of the HMSP program.

[2] My European headquarters is in Varenna, Italy.