Common Causes Of Truck Accidents

Brake Problems

Tractor-trailer trucks can weigh over 70,000 pounds when fully loaded. A vehicle of this weight would be almost impossible to stop if it was traveling at normal highway speed (55 mph) on a level road bed, much less on a twisting mountain road typical of those encountered in the western United States. In order to operate safely, large trucks are forced to rely in part on air brakes to control their speed. Responsibility for the safe operation of an 18-wheeler’s braking system is usually shared by the brake manufacturer, the manufacturer of the tractor and trailer, the shop that installs and services the brakes, and the driver.

Driver Fatigue

Driver fatigue is one of the most common causes of, or a significant contributing factor to, accidents in which an 18-wheeler is involved. Despite changes in federal driving regulations, and in individual trucking company policies that were implemented to reduce incidents of driver fatigue, less than alert driving is often cited as a factor in 18-wheeler accidents. According to traffic safety experts, the greatest contributor to driver fatigue is the number of hours that a driver has been “on duty.” On duty hours are calculated as the number of hours spent while actually driving plus the number of hours spent on non-driving tasks such as loading and unloading cargo, fueling, and vehicle maintenance tasks.

Tire Blowouts

Consider that a fully loaded semi-truck weighs more than 80,000 pounds. If a driver ignores defective or worn tread on their tires or doesn’t air up tires that are under-inflated, they’re putting both the public and themselves in potentially mortal danger. In fact, the statistics show that blown out tires are the leading cause of truck accidents in America. Driving a semi-truck with unsafe, un-inspected tires is pure negligence. Any truck driver that does so and any trucking company that’s allowing their drivers to do so need to be held accountable for their driver’s actions.

Unsecured Load

Whenever semi-trucks overload or improperly secure loads in their trailers, the probability that the load will fall off or detach skyrockets. These lost loads can lead not only lead to serious damages and injuries, but also to the deaths of vehicle passengers. Improperly securing a load is a misdemeanor offense. Besides jail time, the more serious risk is that these negligent drivers are creating dangerous situations for all nearby vehicles. Although most domestic truck drivers take all the necessary precautions when it comes to properly securing their trucks’ trailers, the problem is that even a single driver not showing this caution can cause a deadly trucking accident.