Leading causes of truck accidents

Reckless driving – Like other motorists, a truck driver might speed, shift lanes improperly, follow another vehicle too closely or fail to obey yield and stops signs. Because of their size, a reckless truck driver can cause serious damages to other drivers.

Driving under the influence – The prospect of a truck or tractor trailer driver operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol is truly terrifying. In some states the legal blood alcohol level for commercial drivers is even lower than it would be for other drivers.

Rollovers – Nearly 10% of all truck accidents involve the big rig rolling over. There are many causes of large truck rollover including distraction, fatigue, intersection and road conditions, the balance or weight of the load being carried, or going too fast around curves.

Unsecured cargo – Unsecured cargo can fall off from the truck, endangering other drivers and putting lives at risk.

Overloaded cargo – Some companies overload trucks to move more cargo. An overloaded truck is more likely to cause an accident.

Delivery schedules – The more a truck driver and his company can deliver, the more money they both make. This serves an incentive for delivering cargo at an unsafe rate.

Insufficient experience and training – Trucking companies are always seeking methods to cut costs. One way some companies cut costs is by hiring less experienced and trained truck drivers.

Driver fatigue – Driver fatigue is the leading cause of truck accident across the country. While there are strict restrictions on the amount of hours a truck driver can be behind the wheel, these rules are not always followed. For example, a recent truck accident involving a Wal-Mart truck driver revealed that the driver had not slept in more than 24 hours.