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Every motorist knows the moment.
Through the window you hear the sound of a 430-horsepower diesel engine straining to pull 45,000 pounds of overloaded freight. Every day in America, truck drivers who are fast asleep or nodding off behind the wheel kill or injure an average of 56 motorists and pedestrians, according to the Department of Transportation. Alarmed by the carnage and a host of other truck safety problems, Washington has begun cracking down. Late last year, Congress added to the roster of federal agencies, creating the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. But such measures don't address the problem's underlying cause, according to both experts and truckers.