Being involved in an accident with a commercial truck poses significant dangers due to its larger size and weight, resulting in high-impact forces that can cause severe damage and injuries. Commercial trucks have limited maneuverability, longer braking distances, and larger blind spots, increasing the risk of collisions. Driver fatigue and error, as well as cargo issues, contribute to the potential dangers. Non-compliance with regulations by some trucking companies further escalates the risks associated with commercial truck accidents.

To mitigate these dangers, drivers should maintain a safe distance, avoid blind spots, and adhere to traffic rules when sharing the road with commercial trucks.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, commercial tractor-trailers and 18-wheelers are large vehicles weighing an average of 80,000 pounds. This means the damage is devastating when a freight truck collides with another car, like a sedan, an SUV, or a limo. 

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCA), over 5,000 large trucks and buses were involved in deadly accidents in 2018. On the national level, approximately 1-in-10 fatal traffic accidents involve a large semi-truck. Even more startling, of deaths arising from collisions with large trucks, the individuals occupying the smaller vehicle died or suffered catastrophic injuries in almost all of the wrecks.

These statistics tell us two things: first, significant tractor-trailer accidents happen more often than most think. Second, accidents with 18-wheelers and semi-trucks routinely involve untimely deaths or serious injuries.

The truck accident involving Tracy Morgan is also an instructive example of how collisions with these large vehicles often occur. Like most truck drivers, the commercial truck driver that injured Tracy Morgan was overworked and held to a strict schedule. According to ABC News, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that the negligent truck driver was awake for more than 28 hours when the crash occurred and was driving over 20 miles above the posted speed limit.

You may be surprised to discover that many truck drivers engage in similar behavior and push themselves to be on the road for long hours to make timely deliveries. This causes large trucks to be hazardous to drive near because the truck driver may be less alert than they should be.

The nature of a truck driver’s delivery schedule also makes it likely that the truck driver will exceed the recommended speed limit for large trucks. Many trucks drive at or slightly below the speed limit, but drivers on a schedule may believe that speeding is necessary to deliver timely. In effect, speeding truck drivers turn their vehicles into high-speed missiles, barreling down the highway just waiting for an accident to occur.

The nature of cross-country trucking also results in regular vehicle maintenance problems. Trucks are designed to be sturdy and reliable, but accidents happen. Improper truck maintenance can result in tire blowouts, brake failures, and engine trouble, and these maintenance defects create a hazardous roadway hazard.

The YouTube video below provides ten safety tips for sharing the road with truck drivers.