Hackensack area drivers know that trucks have a major presence on area roads. Although trucks are important for moving goods around the country, they can also be difficult to share the road with. If you are involved in an accident involving a truck, chances are the cause is driver inexperience.
Poor training is a major cause of truck accidents. The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Regulations govern the trucking industry and provide the safety requirements for truck drivers. But these regulations are the minimum safety requirements and driver training is increasingly important in ensuring that everyone remains safe on the road.
There are many reasons for poor training for truck drivers. These include:
- Driver shortage. Trucking companies are short thousands of drivers. The lack of drivers is leading to a rush to train new employees to move shipments. Some of these employees are younger, less experienced, and unable to safely make long distance trucking trips.
- Training. A commercial driver’s license is required to drive a large truck. Although the license makes sure the driver has knowledge to drive a certain truck, it does not mean the driver has enough training. These drivers must attend an educational program to help with this skill but many of these programs are too short or do not provide enough training. New truck drivers often state that the amount of training they receive is not adequate.
Classroom training is often only a week and then behind the wheel training begins. A new truck driver learns many important skills including truck inspection, how to locate and use important functions, federal regulations, etc. After this training, a truck driver is able to be on the road. Sometimes a company has a person ride a long with new drivers but with the lack of truck drivers a company may not be able to spare another person.
If you are involved in an accident involving a truck, a legal professional who is skilled in personal injury can help. An attorney can help you understand your options and help you receive the compensation you deserve.