More than 4,000 people die every year in collisions with trucks. Over 80,000 more are seriously injured. More people die in collisions with trucks than in collisions with planes, train, ships and interstate buses combined. There are many causes for the accidents but many are preventable and are the result of many trucking companies cutting corners. Research performed by the American Association of Justice from data obtained from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) showed there were more than 28,000 trucking companies operating on U.S. roads with safety violations. These companies represent more than 200,000 trucks. West Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska, Vermont and Iowa had the most.
There are more than 9 million trucks on U.S. roads that make up only 4% of all passenger vehicles but are involved in 12% of all fatalities. The vast majority of the people killed are drivers and passengers of the vehicle the truck hits. Even though there are many reasons for the accidents there are many due to violations of companies trying to cut corners. Some of the violations include overloading truck, allowing unqualified or untrained drivers on the road, failing to properly maintain tires and brakes and compensation systems that promote drivers to exceed speed limits and maximum driving hours.
Trucks are vital to our economy and haul nearly 70% of all our freight. This being said, they are also inherently dangerous due to their size and weight. Because of this we need to ensure our regulations are strictly enforced. Data on all 28,274 trucking companies can be found online.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2010
