How the Trucking Industry Puts Profits Over Safety
Trucking services are profit-driven corporations. Unfortunately, generating revenue can sometimes conflict with public safety. Trucking companies have been known to cut corners, violate critical federal trucking regulations, and engage in conduct that significantly increases the chances that large trucks are involved in traffic accidents.
When your life changes because a trucking service decided to put its financial interests above your safety, you can take legal action and fight to hold it accountable. Knowing how the trucking industry puts profits over safety can help you gain the leverage you’ll need to win your truck accident case and maximize your recovery.
Encouraging Drivers to Speed, Drive Beyond Hours of Service Limitations, and Engage in Other Misconduct At the Wheel
The faster a trucking company can get goods from one place to another, the quicker it can turn around and bid for another job. The more jobs a trucking service can complete, the more money it’ll make.
Trucking companies might pressure their drivers to engage in reckless behaviors to expedite shipments, such as:
- Speeding or driving faster than is reasonably safe in hazardous conditions
- Relying on stimulants or other drugs to compensate for driver fatigue
- Driving in excess of FMCSA hours of service limitations
Drivers can be pressured directly or encouraged to push the limits of safe trucking operations by being promised financial incentives for getting their shipments delivered ahead of schedule.
Hiring Unqualified Truck Drivers
Trucks are much more challenging to operate than passenger vehicles. Before a driver can legally operate a large commercial truck, they have to complete a series of written tests and practical driving tests, obtain a Commercial Driver’s License from their home state, and pass health assessments and screenings that demonstrate they’re fit to drive.
However, not all trucking companies hire the best drivers – or even those who satisfy the FMCSA’s minimum driving requirements.
Trucking companies might try to cut costs by hiring unqualified or poorly-qualified drivers, including those who:
- Do not have a valid CDL or lack necessary endorsements
- Haven’t received adequate training
- Do not have hands-on experience operating commercial 18-wheelers
- Have a documented history of safety violations and/or a criminal record
When unqualified or poorly trained drivers are at the wheel, the chances that a large rig is involved in an accident increase significantly.
Ignoring Potential Truck Defects or Hazards
Trucks must be inspected regularly. If a trucking service or a driver identifies a defect or problem with a vehicle, it must fix the problem. However, truck repairs are costly. So is having a truck out of service. A trucking company might ignore problems with a tractor-trailer and keep the vehicle in service to the detriment of public safety.
If you’ve been injured in a truck accident because a trucking service cut corners to save money, call Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC. You deserve financial justice, and our Chicago truck accident lawyers are uniquely equipped to help you get it. We’re award-winning Illinois trial attorneys who’ve taken on multinational corporations and won hundreds of millions for our clients.
Now, we’re here to fight for your best interests after a trucking company only looked out for itself. We offer a free consultation. Call our Chicago law office for help today.