Professionals operating commercial trucks have to complete special training. They need to fulfill educational requirements that involve taking a course and then passing a test. Those who have secured a commercial driver’s license (CDL) can operate a semi-truck on public roads.
In theory, what they have learned through educational courses and hands-on experience can make it easier for them to safely operate large trucks. In practice, commercial drivers are responsible for a large portion of the crashes involving 18-wheelers every year.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) acknowledges that crashes are more likely than not to be the fault of the commercial truck, not the passenger vehicle involved in the incident. Of those crashes, approximately 87% of the wrecks are the result of something the commercial driver did or did not do. The following are the top reasons that semi-truck drivers with a CDL cause crashes with smaller vehicles.
Making the wrong decision
The single most common cause of semi-truck collisions involves a mistake made by the commercial driver. Maybe they drive at a speed that is too high given road conditions or the overall volume of traffic. Maybe they don’t leave adequate space when approaching an intersection or get too close to the rear end of another vehicle in traffic. Approximately 38% of the crashes caused by semi-trucks involve a faulty decision by the commercial driver.
Failing to monitor their surroundings
The second leading cause of semi-truck crashes relates to recognition errors. In layman’s terms, the driver fails to recognize safety concerns or hazards on the road. Perhaps they looked down at a dispatch device and failed to notice a pedestrian. Maybe they decided to eat a meal while driving and don’t notice that the vehicles in front of them have come to a complete stop. Approximately 28% of the crashes caused by 18-wheelers relate to a failure to monitor traffic conditions and recognize hazards.
Falling asleep or having medical issues
The third most common reason a truck driver might cause a crash relates to non-performance. They become incapable of driving the vehicle. Often, non-performance occurs because of fatigue. Drivers may fall asleep at the wheel. Even a few seconds of slumber can be enough to cause a preventable crash. Other times, non-performance might involve a driver experiencing some kind of medical emergency. A heart attack or pulmonary embolism could leave them incapable of operating the truck and in need of immediate medical assistance.
When a commercial truck operator causes a crash, the other people involved may have access to a large commercial insurance policy. They may also need to file lawsuits. Determining the underlying cause of a commercial truck collision can help people in the pursuit of justice. Those who understand why a crash occurred can demand that the appropriate party compensate them for their financial losses.