As you can imagine, if a truck driver or company does not abide by these regulations, the cargo they barrel down the road with could make for incredibly unsafe circumstances for the truck’s drivers, passengers, and innocent drivers sharing the road. If a truck driver does not follow these rules, fines and other serious penalties can be applied.
They know the injured victim is going to demand compensation – likely significant compensation from them – in damages. Their insurance company is likely going to tell them that they’re going to have to pay much higher premiums as a result.
At a high level, they found 87% of the accidents were caused by the driver. Just 10% happened as a result of something wrong with the vehicle. Only 3% happened because of “environmental” factors.
Trucking companies certainly don’t want to see money disappear from their bottom line. The natural response – obviously – is to figure out how to delay, deny or outright shift liability for the loss.
While that sounds like good news for Americans, trucking companies and others are recruiting drivers who are 65 years old and over to fill these vacant commercial truck driver spots, a move that many have warned will translate to increased danger on our highways. Let’s take a look at the facts.
Recent estimates from the industry suggest that trucking companies could add as many as 48,000 more drivers nationwide to address the increased shipping demands spurred by the country’s economic recovery.
Here are just four ideas floated by trucking industry experts that may help undercut the dangerous American trucker shortage.
Our accident and injury attorneys see the driver shortage for what it is: One challenge to doing business in the commercial transportation industry.
Here’s another challenge, and one that is certainly linked to the trucker shortage, according to the American Trucking Associations: High driver turnover.
In his new book "There are No Accidents, Only Collisions," longtime Arkansas car accident and personal injury attorney Alan LeVar outlines many things that drivers should know with regards to sharing the road with big rigs and tractor-trailers. Go here to learn more...
The issue of truck accident prevention and speed limits received increased media attention in recent months as several states nationwide are considering increasing highway speed limits. The problem with this move, according to trucking industry leaders, is that most big rigs are not equipped to go more than about 75 miles per hour. Truck tire blowouts are of particular concern when big rigs travel at higher speeds. Learn more here about how speed is a factor in Arkansas commercial truck accidents.
New regulations mean that now CDL drivers must have their examinations done by medical professionals trained specifically on what to look for in drivers. A USDOT medical exam assesses a number of conditions that could affect a driver’s ability to safely operate the vehicle they are driving. Go here to learn more about these regulations and how they will improve safety on our roads.
Though semi tractor trailers are designed to carry heavy loads, they can be overloaded. When a truck carries more than it is supposed to, major, catastrophic wrecks can occur. These wrecks, as they tend to happen on interstate highways at high speeds, can happen on any road. It’s a sad fact that many trucks are overloaded typically, on any given day. Truckers and their companies are under pressure to maximize each trip, and sometimes this means trucks are loaded too heavy, or too quickly so they are not properly balanced. If you or a loved one were hit by a commercial truck, it would be hard to tell if overweight or improper loading contributed to the wreck, or increased its severity unless you know what to look for. If this is a factor in your accident, then someone you love, or yourself, was hurt from negligent behavior. Were you hit by an overloaded truck? Learn more.
Truck accidents that involve negligence can cost commercial trucking companies millions of dollars in liability, and they know it. These kinds of accidents can be complex, and the companies have resources to put on these cases, and fight them tooth and nail. If you’ve been involved in an accident with a semi-truck trailer, you have options for how to best approach what happens next. The trucking company, rest assured, will have a team of lawyers backing them. What about you?
