Crashes between large trucks and personal cars are different from car on car accidents due to the difference in the weight of the vehicles. As a result, they often have extremely devastating, and sometimes deadly, consequences. Large trucks (eighteen wheelers, semi-trucks, tractor trailers and big rigs) can weigh up to eighty thousand pounds. This is a huge difference from small cars which can have an average curb weight of less than three thousand pounds. The most recent information provided by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that in 2009 there were 74,000 people injured in crashes involving large trucks. The same year there were 3,380 people killed in crashes involving large trucks. While nearly one-fourth of those injured were truck drivers or their passengers, more than three-fourths of those injured in such crashes were the occupants of other vehicles. More information can be found at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811402EE.pdf.
At Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith, we represent clients and families who have suffered personal injuries or the loss of a loved one due to the negligence of truck drivers or the trucking companies for which they drive. Accidents occur due to driver fatigue, careless driving or speeding, defective equipment, unsecured loads, alcohol and drug use, and improper maintenance and inspection of vehicles. Sometimes, it is the trucking company that does not provide adequate safety training to its drivers. Often, the trucking company places unrealistic expectations and schedules on its drivers which cause lack of sleep, fatigue and erratic driving by drivers and employees.
Recently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has established new standards for the commercial driver’s license (CDL) testing and new standards for the issuance of the commercial learner’s permit (CLP). Novice truck drivers will be required to pass federally approved CDL testing of knowledge and skills. This means that in order to obtain a CLP, drivers will have to meet the same requirements as a full CDL. Applicants must be eighteen years old, have clean driving records, and hold a learner’s permit for two weeks before making application for the full CDL. As regulations such as these continue to be strengthened it is hoped that deaths and injuries involving large trucks will continue to decline. Additional safety and regulatory information may be found at the FMCSA website: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/
