The trucking industry is the backbone of modern commerce, moving goods across vast distances and sustaining supply chains. Abilene, Texas, is no stranger to these trucks either. The huge array of business cities, combined with its central location in the state, makes the rumble of a big rig a constant presence.
But beneath the constant rumble of these rigs is a grim reality: dangerous driving practices, systemic pressures, and overlooked regulations that put drivers at risk and threaten the public.
From unachievable delivery schedules to neglecting maintenance of vehicles, these fundamental problems are to blame for a good number of road accidents every year. If you suffered such an accident, engaging a skilled truck accident lawyer in Abilene, TX, may help you pursue rightful compensation.
Knowing the dodgy side of the trucking business is the stepping stone towards making roads safer for everyone. So what are they?
The majority of trucking companies push drivers to make deliveries within tight or even impossible time frames in pursuit of profit maximization. This compels drivers to drive fast, skip rest stops, or drive extended hours, all of which greatly facilitate the possibility of fatigue-related crashes.
While federal regulations restrict how many hours a driver is allowed on the road, some drivers or companies bend these regulations in order to deliver goods before the deadline. Fatigue impairs reaction and judgment, and therefore, accidents are more likely, particularly on long, repetitive highways.
Negligently serviced trucks, worn-out brake pads, faulty lights, and bald tires are accidents waiting to occur. A couple of operators cut corners on maintenance in order to save money. But ignoring safety inspections until a mechanical failure forces the problem into the middle of the road can cause accidents.
Due to driver shortages, some businesses hire individuals with little or no experience. But these drivers lack the knowledge to react to emergencies and hazardous conditions, leading to accidents.
In some other cases, trucking operators create a culture of shortcuts. It may involve bypassing safety inspections or ignoring logbook regulations. But this culture undermines safety for everyone on the road.
Overweight or improperly restrained loads can cause a truck to become unstable, harder to handle, and more likely to cause fatal crashes. Overloading also puts additional stress on the vehicle, making a subsequent mechanical failure more likely.
Though most drivers are responsible, there are times when stress, fatigue, or long hours lead some to take stimulants or other drugs in order to stay awake. Impaired judgment and decreased reaction times are sufficient to turn an otherwise normal trip into a deadly trap.
Some trucking companies outsource the job to small subcontractors without properly vetting them. It leads to unsafe practices going undetected, as enforcement fails.
Hollowing out freight rates can push trucking companies and individual owner-operators into bankruptcy. In their effort to stay in the black, they cut back essential safety investments like routine maintenance, driver training, and conformity inspections, which place everyone on the road in jeopardy.
Even with strict regulation of trucking, loopholes in regulation and spasmodic enforcement allow unsafe operators to continue driving. Some exploit these loopholes, such as operating under new company names upon repeated violations, in a bid to evade sanctions and continue unsafe operations.
