Many truckers in North Carolina and other states have an honest desire to operate their vehicles safely. Even so, drivers are under pressure to meet deadlines and complete hauls to meet the demand for goods. An accident that occurred in early 2019 has led some individuals involved with the trucking industry to call for a re-evaluation of safety and training procedures.
The truck-related accident that sparked this call involved nearly 30 cars and a long-haul driver. The truck’s driver, who had a clean record, told police that the breaks on his vehicle failed while maneuvering down a stretch of roadway. Trucking accidents in general are an increasingly common concern. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration states that 30 violations, including some related to break issues, were reported during 19 inspections that were conducted over a two-year period.
Commercial vehicles move about 70% of all freight in the United States, which results in the need to recruit and train new drivers and get them behind the wheel as quickly as possible. Potential solutions include more of a focus on simulator training to expose drivers to real-life road situations in a safe setting. However, the head of a company that produces virtual simulators for truck driver training believes classroom instruction is equally important in addition to actual training behind the wheel with an experienced operator in the vehicle. This is the approach to instruction that’s mandatory in the airline industry but not the trucking industry.
Should personal injuries occur as a result of a driver’s negligence, a commercial truck accidents attorney may seek access to a driver’s safety record. If it’s clean, an attorney might look for possible issues with the vehicle itself that the driver’s employer may have overlooked by securing truck inspection records. In some instances, results from accident reconstructions are also considered when making decisions about legal action.