Accidents involving large trucks are often in the news. It is not necessarily because they happen more often than accident involving passenger vehicles, but that when a truck is in an accident, it usually causes more serious injuries and consequences. A truck accident can shut down a roadway for hours, which can bring traffic to a standstill. Because of the size of a truck compared to a passenger vehicle, a collision almost always results in serious injuries or death of the occupants in a passenger vehicle. In any case, avoiding these accidents are imperative to save lives and prevent road congestion.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that trucking companies can do many things that will help reduce the likelihood of accidents and to ensure their drivers are safety conscious. It starts with ensuring every driver has the proper training in not only driving the vehicle but also safety management. Companies need to put safety programs in place and ensure mandatory participation with safety regulations.
Companies should also promote safe habits, including making drivers always wear a seat belt and adhere to weight limits. They also need to make sure drivers follow safe driving practices and avoid driving when tired or ill.
Above all else, trucking companies need to stop putting too many demands on drivers, including over scheduling them. They need to ensure all schedules follow the law in terms of hours of service so that drivers are not behind the wheel too long. They should enforce all laws and help drivers to have some flexibility in their schedules so that they are not pushing to make deliveries on time.