Truck Drivers are Often Responsible for Collisions

Accidents involving trucks, like any other type of vehicle collision can and do occur for a variety of reasons. Most, however, can be linked to some sort of negligence, like truck driver error. Whatever the cause, these kinds of crashes are almost always serious, as commercial vehicles vastly outweigh passenger vehicles. Fortunately, accident victims who can prove that someone else was responsible for their crash, are often entitled to compensation for their losses, typically from the trucking company that employed the negligent driver in question.

Inadequate Truck Driver Training 

When it comes down to it, truck driver error is one of the most common reasons behind truck accidents in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, these errors are often preventable, as they are the result of a driver’s lack of training. Over the last few years, the need for commercial drivers has continued to increase. The number of qualified drivers on our roads, however, remains low, which is why so many trucking companies put inadequately trained drivers behind the wheel, failing to ensure that new hires are properly trained on the correct safety measures to take when loading and transporting cargo, how to conduct inspections, and tactics for driving defensively. It ends up being these very drivers who contribute to and cause a large percentage of truck accidents in Oklahoma.

Unrealistic Schedules

 Because trucking companies often lack the drivers that they require, they sometimes place too much pressure on their employees to deliver cargo within a certain period of time. This kind of pressure can result in unsafe driving practices, like speeding, driving recklessly, and failing to take the requisite breaks. The latter has proven especially common, with many drivers ignoring federal hours of service rules in order to meet tight deadlines put in place by their employers. Besides being unlawful, this is extremely dangerous, with driver fatigue one of the leading causes of truck accidents in Oklahoma.

Truck Driver Intoxication 

In the U.S., commercial truck drivers must abide by more stringent rules in regards to driving under the influence. For instance, for most drivers, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more. Truck drivers, however, can be convicted of driving under the influence as long as their test results reveal a BAC of .04 percent or more. This lower threshold makes sense when you consider the dangers that large commercial trucks pose to other road users. Unfortunately, many truck drivers still choose to operate their vehicles while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, to the detriment of other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Were You Injured in an Oklahoma Truck Accident? 

Trucking companies often bear responsibility for truck accidents, either because they failed to train their drivers, hired unqualified employees, or demanded that drivers meet unreasonable deadlines. For help determining who was at fault for your own Oklahoma truck crash, please call Levinson Law, P.C. at 918-492-4433 and set up a meeting with one of our dedicated Tulsa trucking accident lawyers today.

Sources:

 fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/summary-hours-service-regulations

csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetyplanner/MyFiles/SubSections.aspx?ch=23&sec=68&sub=164