2022 Forecast for the Trucking Industry and the Safety Implications of More Large Trucks on the Road
As backlogged supply chains generate shortages in materials and parts, demand for moving freight across the U.S. is high. From retailers keeping shelves stocked to manufacturers sourcing raw materials, businesses are currently paying a premium to get products where they need to go. Rather than shipping goods by train, which is more fuel-efficient and economical,...
2022 Forecast for the Trucking Industry and the Safety Implications of More Large Trucks on the Road Continue reading…Do you agree that truckers are professional drivers?
Truckers are supposed to be professional drivers. I know this because I've worked on truck crash lawsuits for more than 30 years. Yet, the lawyers on the other side—the insurance company attorneys— almost always object. They accuse me of holding a truck driver to "too high of a standard." They also regularly object to proposing...
Do you agree that truckers are professional drivers? Continue reading…Off-tracking truck: how rear tires can crush pedestrians
What is off-tracking? Off-tracking truck: Rear wheels take a different, shorter path than the front wheels when the semi-truck is turning or cornering. We might think of it as "cutting the corner" of a turn. I have seen this before, with a client who was run over by the back wheels of a semi-truck turning...
Off-tracking truck: how rear tires can crush pedestrians Continue reading…Trucker in fatal crash an “imminent hazard to public safety”
On the evening of November 9th, 2016 a semi-truck struck an Oregon man on I-84 in Idaho. The State Police reported that 24-year-old Matthew Martin, of Ontario, Oregon, had hit a guardrail. His Toyota ended up in the center lane. He exited the car and was hit by a semi-truck. Martin later died in an...
Trucker in fatal crash an “imminent hazard to public safety” Continue reading…How long does it take to learn to drive a semi-truck … safely?
There are no national standards for training new semi-truck drivers. Here’s why that’s a problem. Several years ago, I represented Angelah, a young girl with a mild traumatic brain injury. She had been in a terrible crash. Her mother was driving. The afternoon was rainy, and the road was wet. A truck driver failed to...
How long does it take to learn to drive a semi-truck … safely? Continue reading…It’s time for better drug tests for truckers
Trucking companies must drug-test all applicants when hiring truck drivers. A driver must be tested again if he or she is involved in a truck accident crash that results in a serious injury or fatality. Those results are shared with The Department of Transportation (DOT), which regulates the trucking industry. Currently, The Department of Transportation...
It’s time for better drug tests for truckers Continue reading…Logging Trucks
Logging trucks traveling on our highways and public roadways are a common site in the Pacific Northwest. They are generally traveling with a full load of logs. A fully loaded logging truck must be operated by a skilled and trained driver. Defensive driving practices must be used and road and weather conditions must be observed...
Logging Trucks Continue reading…Common Causes of Truck Accidents
In 2008, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), there were over 4,000 deaths caused by accidents involving large trucks. Most of the deaths, approximately 2,760 were passenger vehicle occupants. Commons causes of large truck accidents include: *Speeding *Overloaded Trucks and Trailers * Sleep deprivation * Inadequte training * Failure to have a safety program...
Common Causes of Truck Accidents Continue reading…“Preventable Accident” in Trucker’s Defensive Driving Code
Motor carriers are supposed to train their drivers. That training should provide the appropriate skills and knowledge which would allow them to avoid preventable a crash— which they call a “preventable accident.” In the trucking industry, a “preventable accident” is a crash or collision in which a truck driver or motor carrier failed to act...
“Preventable Accident” in Trucker’s Defensive Driving Code Continue reading…Safety Cushion: Semi-truck following distances
Recently, I was driving on I-5 in the Pacific Northwest. As is usual for this time of the year, it was raining, and the road was slick. The sky was gray with clouds. Time and time again, big rigs would come up behind my vehicle at high speed, then race past me, spraying water. I was...
Safety Cushion: Semi-truck following distances Continue reading…