Accidents involving trucks can result in severe injuries and possibly death. Due to their weight and size, trucks can endanger drivers and occupants of smaller vehicles when safety measures are not observed.
The following are three common causes of truck accidents:
Inadequate driver training
The shortage of professional truck drivers is not a hidden issue. The demand for freight continues, but the number of qualified drivers remains low.
To curb this issue, some companies opt to put inadequately trained drivers behind the wheel. These companies fail to take time to train drivers on all aspects of truck driving, including safety measures and defensive driving. Or, they may hire people who are not qualified to drive trucks.
Inadequate driver training contributes to a significant percentage of truck accidents.
Systems of compensation
How is a truck company’s system of payment linked to accidents?
Some systems of compensation used by trucking companies encourage unsafe behaviors on the roads. For example, some pay drivers particular cents per mile (pay per mile). Even though this compensation system allows drivers to make as much as they want, it can discourage them from taking breaks. One may want to drive longer, even when fatigued, to make more money. Additionally, they may violate traffic laws if they believe observing such laws will slow them down.
Unrealistic schedules/expectations
Some trucking companies put too much pressure on drivers to deliver cargo within a short period. Such pressure may lead to unsafe driving practices that can cause an accident.
The above-discussed contributing factors are related to trucking companies. But a truck driver can be negligent as well. And in some cases, the driver of a small vehicle can make a mistake that causes a crash. If you are involved in a truck accident, learn more to protect your rights.