Three Causes of an 18 Wheeler Accident
An 18 wheeler accident is a serious incident because of several different factors.
Another unfortunate thing is that they are not especially uncommon thanks to the fact there are so many of these trucks on the road.
But accidents are most commonly caused by three things.
Driver Fatigue This is easily the biggest reason 18 wheeler accidents take place.
There are several reasons why a driver may be fatigued.
First, most drivers are paid either by the miles that they drive or with the delivery of their payloads.
This means that the less the driver is out on the road, the less they are making so at one point drivers would push themselves to drive when it was dangerous because they were so tired and their reaction times were that much slower.
Now there are federal and state laws that tell drivers how long they are allowed to drive before they have to rest.
Unfortunately the only way it's kept track is on paper which can lead to drivers simply saying they drove a certain amount of time when in reality they had been driving for much longer than that.
Incompetence There are many requirements a driver should have in order to operate a semi.
Usually this means things like drug tests, proper licenses and things of that nature must be up to date in order to ensure that the driver is qualified to operate that large piece of machinery.
The problem is that usually these things are not up to date or just missing from the drivers file.
Mechanical Oversight A semi is a complex piece of equipment that requires specialized upkeep and maintenance that can be expensive.
Unfortunately sometimes inspections for the rigs are skipped or not done all together for a long amount of time.
Also whenever a truck is loaded with a new supply or whatever it is carrying the trucker is supposed to calibrate their truck with it so that it is safer to driver and the two parts are working in unison.
This is a potentially dangerous oversight since it can affect the way a trucker actually drives.
Another unfortunate thing is that they are not especially uncommon thanks to the fact there are so many of these trucks on the road.
But accidents are most commonly caused by three things.
Driver Fatigue This is easily the biggest reason 18 wheeler accidents take place.
There are several reasons why a driver may be fatigued.
First, most drivers are paid either by the miles that they drive or with the delivery of their payloads.
This means that the less the driver is out on the road, the less they are making so at one point drivers would push themselves to drive when it was dangerous because they were so tired and their reaction times were that much slower.
Now there are federal and state laws that tell drivers how long they are allowed to drive before they have to rest.
Unfortunately the only way it's kept track is on paper which can lead to drivers simply saying they drove a certain amount of time when in reality they had been driving for much longer than that.
Incompetence There are many requirements a driver should have in order to operate a semi.
Usually this means things like drug tests, proper licenses and things of that nature must be up to date in order to ensure that the driver is qualified to operate that large piece of machinery.
The problem is that usually these things are not up to date or just missing from the drivers file.
Mechanical Oversight A semi is a complex piece of equipment that requires specialized upkeep and maintenance that can be expensive.
Unfortunately sometimes inspections for the rigs are skipped or not done all together for a long amount of time.
Also whenever a truck is loaded with a new supply or whatever it is carrying the trucker is supposed to calibrate their truck with it so that it is safer to driver and the two parts are working in unison.
This is a potentially dangerous oversight since it can affect the way a trucker actually drives.
