Commercial crashes, like passenger vehicle crashes, happen for all kinds of reasons. Bad weather, vehicle failure and emergency medical events can all cause crashes. However, many collisions are the result of bad decisions by drivers.
Anyone can make mistakes at the wheel, but commercial drivers can affect far more people — with more serious consequences — with bad driving decisions than the average person in a passenger vehicle could ever do. The stress associated with trucking as a career could lead to the bad decisions below that might cause a crash.
Lonely truckers may text while driving
The longer someone’s average trip is, the more time they must endure away from their loved ones every week. Depression and social isolation are common consequences of long-haul trucking. Drivers wanting to connect with the people they love may dial their phone or type out a text message even though there are federal rules against doing so.
Tired truckers may keep driving to get their loads in on time
On-time delivery is crucial to the success of any transportation company. Trucking companies make specific promises to their clients about how quickly they can deliver loads. Even though truck drivers have limits to how long they should drive, they may break those rules to get a delivery in on time or to secure a bonus.
Long hours with few breaks can lead to distracted driving
Too many people think of mobile phones as the only real cause of distracted driving. However, eating at the wheel, grooming oneself or even listening to audiobooks could distract a driver and lead to preventable mistakes on the road.
Those hurt in commercial crashes may need to explore what likely caused their crash so that they can hold the right party responsible for their losses and injuries.
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