Although the cause of a truck accident may appear obvious to observers, there are typically underlying causes involved which cannot be seen. Factors such as an unbalanced load or poorly maintained truck may have played a role, and poor practices by the trucking company, such as putting drivers in trucks they are not properly trained to operate and demanding that drivers meet unrealistic schedules, are even harder to detect. Truck accidents require thorough, in-depth investigation by an experienced truck accident attorney.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents are often the result of a combination of underlying factors. Some of the common causes leading to truck accidents include:
- Unrealistic schedules imposed on truck drivers
- Driver fatigue
- Speeding
- Driving too fast for weather, road or traffic conditions
- Failure to perform pre-trip inspection
- Inadequately secured loads
- Unbalanced loads
- Overloaded trucks
- Truck driver distraction
- Inexperienced or undertrained truck driver
- Intoxication with alcohol, prescription, over the counter, and/or recreational drugs
- Inadequate truck maintenance
- Defective trucks and equipment
- Negligence on the part of other drivers
- Defective roadways including missing or inaccurate height and weight limit signs
Unrealistic Schedules Contribute in Many Ways
We live in a world where consumers and businesses expect fast, free delivery, especially right now while so many of us are trying not to go into stores and many are limited to selling online. While that’s a great thing for those in need of goods, it puts a lot of pressure on trucking companies to keep up and compete, and they in turn put that pressure on their drivers as well as taking shortcuts such as keeping trucks on the road that should be down for maintenance or retired entirely.
Unrealistic schedules can create numerous hazards that lead to trucking accidents, including:
- Truck driver fatigue
- Speeding or driving too fast for the conditions
- Intoxication with stimulants to ward off fatigue
- Other types of intoxication due to be called in sooner than expected after drinking or taking medication
- Improper loading
- Overloaded truck
- Failure to perform pre-trip inspection
- Truck driver distraction
- Inadequate maintenance
- Mechanical failure due to truck overuse
If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a crash involving a large commercial truck search our directory for an experienced truck accident attorney in your state.
