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Are Class 8 Trucks More Vulnerable to Accidents? Find out the fact

Automobile

A driver who is involved in operating trucks is required to be extremely careful especially when behind the steering wheel. In almost every country, motor vehicle accidents rank among the prime grounds of death. An important part of these wrecks is the class 8 truck as the damages that they trigger are not similar to that of the car accident. Knowledge of preventing truck accidents is crucial as a lack of it can end in serious catastrophe.

Some federal rules and regulations are prevalent for stopping truck accidents. The penalties that can arise for breaching the rules can lay a negative influence on the safety record of the truck agency. The freight brokers and the clients who use trucks as the medium of cargo transportation keep trucking companies with a poor safety record in their blacklist. If the drivers’ behavior can be controlled, truck accidents can be prevented to a large extent.

Facts:

  • The U.S. provides employment to approximately 8.9 million people in the trucking industry.
  • The US and Canada have approximately 15.5 million trucks.
  • Among them, approximately 4 million trucks belong to Class 8.
  • In the U.S., there are approximately 1. 2 million companies. Of them, around 97% execute 20 trucks approx. 90% are associated with the operation of around 6 trucks.
  • In 2006, the trucking industry logged around 432.9 bln miles in totality.
  • The class 8 trucks logged 139.3 bln miles on an approx.
  • The trucks are responsible for transporting almost 70% of the total cargo.
  • Almost 13% of the fuel is consumed by the trucking industry as per the purchase in the US that counts to $130 bln each year.

Statistics accounting to the accidents:

  • As per an estimation, the USA traffic accident deaths are from 41,000 to 45,000 in a single year.
  • Approximately 9% of the deaths are involved with commercial vehicles.
  • Approximately 15% of the deaths are linked to the walkers and bikers.
  • Approximately 80% of the accidents associate non-commercial vehicles.

The general reasons for truck accidents:

  • Inability to control the truck
  • Slippery roads
  • Braking all of a sudden
  • Speed over the assigned regulations
  • Carelessness
  • Inability to judge properly
  • Improper maneuvring
  • Coming too close to another vehicle

The mistakes made by the truck driver:

As per FMCSA, the class 8 trucks’ drivers cause accidents in the majority of cases.

The main factors:

  • Driver fatigue is responsible for 18% of the truck wrecks.
  • Higher speed accounts for 23% of the cases.
  • It was found that around 44% of the truck drivers who take drugs or under-prescribed medication cause accidents.

Counting the basic reasons for class 8 truck accident:

  • The service duration: Over exhausted truck drivers are dangerous for maneuvering trucks. A maximum of 11 hours can be allowed to drive. He/she should take at least 10 hours of rest before commuting another shift.
  • Using drugs: The truck drivers can use medicines prescribed by the doctors. The medicines must not have any sedation effect. But most of the time, the drivers use medicines that they buy over the counter. Hence, as the side effect of the drug, they feel sleepy and it can lead to a deadly accident.
  • Fatigue of the truck drivers: Truck drivers are devoid of a normal social life. They spend most of their professional life in the cabin of the truck. The driver has to remain away from family and friends, and hence his mental health may get disturbed. He may lack the capability to focus on driving at a stretch that leads to fatality.
  • Depowering of the truck’s front brakes: Many truck drivers stay away from using the front brakes for reducing the damage of the tires and the brakes. They tend to operate with the trailer brakes, and they also downshift for stopping the truck.
  • Breakdown of the equipment: Many trucks can have manufacturing defects at the time of transportation which is very dangerous as it often ends in misadventure.
  • Lack of maintenance: Many trucking companies don’t take proper care of the trucks, and they often dodge maintenance of the commercial vehicles which may prove nasty.
  • Consumption of alcohol: Truck drivers often take alcohol while driving trucks. It is due to have some relaxation and also for entertainment purpose which is strictly harmful as drinking and driving leads to multiple accident cases.

Educating the drivers, monitoring them, and keeping the truck parts error-free can lessen the rate of accidents to a great degree. In case, you need help with truck accidents, look for professional truck accident lawyers for justice.