Trucks are a vital form of transportation on Florida’s roads and truck drivers sacrifice a lot as part of their job. Being a truck driver requires long hours on the road operating a large, dangerous vehicle.
Truck drivers have deadlines they must meet and often feel pressure to meet these deadlines no matter what. This can lead to truck driver fatigue, which is a more serious problem than you may realize.
Truck driver fatigue has always been a problem
Truck driver fatigue is not a new issue. According to the Truck Safety Coalition, truck driver fatigue has been acknowledged as a factor in fatal truck accidents for more than 70 years.
Although the trucking industry has hours of service rules in place, truckers may ignore these rules and push themselves to keep driving if they are at risk of missing a deadline.
There are various factors that can slow truckers down on the road, such as bad weather or traffic backups, causing them to get behind schedule.
The problem with having fatigued truckers on our roads is it greatly increases the chance of a serious or deadly accident. An accident with a truck is likely to result in major injuries for the driver of the passenger vehicle, due to the large size and weight of the truck.
Fatigued driving is negligent driving
Driving a truck while fatigued is negligent. While there are other forms of negligent truck driving, such as driving while intoxicated or distracted driving, fatigued driving is especially dangerous.
Drivers can quickly become fatigued while in a situation where they cannot safely pull off the road and rest right away. They might use stimulants or caffeinated drinks to try to stay awake, but these only provide a short burst of energy before energy levels crash again to even lower levels.
If you are in an accident with a truck and suspect the driver was fatigued or otherwise negligent, you could recover compensation through a personal injury action. You must prove your damages which may require the help of a professional.