Although federal, state, and local authorities have implemented safety measures to reduce the number of truck collisions and accident fatalities, there are still a great number of truck accidents that occur each year due to:

Driver Fatigue – This is reported as the most common cause of truck accidents each year. Most truck drivers are not supposed to drive long hours, but many do anyway, with very little rest in between or poor-quality sleep, which causes them to lose concentration, coordination and sometimes fall asleep at the wheel. Many times, truck drivers are under pressure to deliver their goods within a designated time frame, so they push on even when they are operating fatigued.

Poor Driver Training – Prior to being allowed to drive huge commercial vehicles, truck drivers are required to put in a certain threshold of training hours and meet certain minimum requirements. However, not all truck drivers or their employers adhere to these guidelines. An inexperienced and poorly trained truck driver behind the wheel can result in absolute disaster.

Truck Defects/Poor Maintenance/Cargo Issues – Truck owners are required by law to make sure their trucks are in top operating condition before hitting the roadways. However, sometimes a truck or its parts are not properly designed, or there is a failure to properly perform safety checks or maintain the truck or its brakes or tires, and this can lead to serious accidents. Sometimes, the truck’s cargo, including, how it is loaded, can cause or contribute to a crash, and incorrect weight distributions can cause rollover accidents.

Alcohol or Drug Use – Oftentimes truck accidents occur when drivers are impaired by alcohol or prescription or non-medicinal drug use while on the job, which can affect their coordination, reaction time, and judgment. Impaired driving is always dangerous to truck drivers and other motorists sharing the highway.

Speeding and Overtaking – Employers sometimes demand that their truck drivers reach certain destinations within a designated period. This may be hard to achieve because of heavy traffic, back-ups, or inclement weather conditions. These hard-set deadlines and the pressure on truck drivers may cause drivers to speed out of fear of losing their jobs if they cannot meet their employer’s demands. Speeding can significantly reduce stopping times, and hard braking can result in veering into other lanes or portions of the roadway causing a collision.

Distracted Driving – After many hours of driving long distances, drivers can get bored on the road and may be tempted to look at their phones or favorite social media sites. Even seconds of being distracted when a truck driver takes his or her eyes off the roadway can be the difference between life and death.

Roadway Obstacles – In some cases, roadway construction or poorly designed or maintained roadways, especially with plowing or salting during the winter months, by states, counties, or local municipalities, can cause or contribute to a catastrophic truck accident.