It seems there are often news stories covering an accident involving a large truck in Ohio. These types of stories are showing up around the country. The reality is that truck accidents are happening all too often on roadways nationwide. It is an industry issue that has caught the eye of the public, trucking companies and the government.
The only way to lower the number of accidents is to get to the heart of why they happen. Knowing the cause enables at least some movement towards correctly the issue and stopping accidents. However, when looking at the reasons behind crashes, it is clear that the industry will require some significant changes if it wants to make things safer.
A look at the industry
According to WorkTruck, truck drivers work too much and face impossible demands on the job. This leads to burnout and driving while tired. Despite federal regulations about driving time and mandatory rest periods, drivers still have too much on their plates.
It is well-known that driving when fatigued is incredibly dangerous. Often compared to driving under the influence, fatigued driving quickly leads to severe accidents. However, the reason drivers face having to be behind the wheel despite being worn out is that the industry is facing high demand for on-time deliveries and dealing with an increase in shipments while also seeing a decrease in the number of available drivers.
The drivers who are on the job have to pick up the slack and ensure deliveries. Not making deliveries is not an option because society depends heavily on trucks to get goods where they need to be to sell to consumers. If the trucks do not run, the store shelves become bare.
It is a dangerous situation that the industry is trying to remedy by attracting more drivers. This is not an easy task, though. As new hires come in, the demand for services continues to rise. It is an almost impossible situation to find balance.
In the meantime, truck accidents continue to rise. This puts everyone on the road at risk.