Commercial Truck Accidents & Driver Error

A growing amount of research into the underlying causes of commercial truck accidents has identified driver error as a major factor. According to research, around 90 percent of serious semi truck accidents were caused by a driver making a mistake. Sometimes those mistakes are the result of a driver being overworked, but other times it is a training issue.

Most commercial truck drivers receive their training at a traditional truck driving school. Most truck driving schools cover topics such as legal compliance, safe operating procedures, map reading, and trip planning. Concerns are regularly expressed by researchers that shortcuts regularly occur in the training process. In other words, prospective drivers and trucking companies are eager to get operators on the road as quickly as possible for financial reasons. The concern is that new drivers aren’t given an adequate amount of time to gain experience driving.

The nature and extent of training for a commercial truck driver raises a couple of key questions when a commercial truck accident occurs due to driver negligence. First, in the aftermath of the accident, that appears to be at least in part the fault of a driver, an examination must occur regarding his or her training. The investigation must focus on whether or not that driver satisfied all of their training requirements.

Second, following a commercial truck accident, a valid question is whether the driver’s training was sufficient. A truck driving school usually follows what is known as the United States Department of Transportation Proposed Minimum Standards for Training Tractor Trailer Drivers. This standard requires 150 hours of basic semi-truck training. It also requires a 150-hour externship and eighty hours of advanced training.

A poorly trained commercial truck driver is a danger to all drivers on the road. The size of a commercial truck and the physics involved with bringing it to a stop, or changing direction, significantly reduces a drivers margin of error. It is important that all commercial truck drivers receive proper, thorough, training to protect themselves and others on public roads.

If you’ve been involved in a commercial truck accident caused by a poorly trained driver, give us a call here at Warren Law Firm. We can help but there’s no time to spare. You must act quickly after an injury accident to preserve your legal rights.

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More information about commercial truck driver licensing requirements:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/commercial-drivers-license