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Home > Personal Injury > Accidents > Trucks / Semis Accidents > Trucking Accidents: Unrealistic Schedules

Trucking Accident Attorneys

in Denver and throughout Colorado and Wyoming

Unrealistic Schedules

The underlying cause of a large portion of trucking accidents is an unrealistic schedule. Overall, truck drivers are some of the best, most experienced drivers on the road. They have an extra incentive to avoid accidents. For a truck driver, being involved in an accident can mean far more than losing his or her current job, it can mean losing the right to drive a commercial vehicle, permanently. Trucking companies and shippers are notorious for expecting drivers to meet unrealistic delivery schedules.

Click to view our video about "Unrealistic Truck Driver Schedules"

Some drivers have the opportunity to refuse a load if they cannot meet the desired schedule, but the trucking industry is very competitive and there will always be another driver who will accept it. Experienced drivers know that this short-term loss will be to their benefit in the long run, but too many drivers feel that they cannot afford to turn down a job. Trying to meet an unrealistic schedule can create several factors which cause accidents.

Driver fatigue
Federal laws restrict the number of consecutive driving hours, the total number of hours in a day and total number of hours in a week that a truck driver is allowed to be on the road. Drivers are required to keep records of the hours they drive, in log books. Truck drivers trying to meet unrealistic deadlines sometimes break these laws, driving for too long and falsifying log book entries. They don't get away with it forever, but they can get away with it long enough to have an accident.

Even drivers who obey the law can suffer from extreme fatigue. Time off the road does not always mean time sleeping. Truckers typically do not work on a regular schedule, and this can throw sleep cycles off. Many truckers spend their non-driving time helping load and unload the truck, as well.

Intoxication
In an effort to combat fatigue, many drivers turn to legal or illegal stimulants. Caffeine, ephedrine, cocaine, and methamphetamines may keep a driver from falling asleep at the wheel, but they do not replace rest. Federal law requires truck drivers to submit to random drug testing.

Excessive speeds
Some drivers choose to make up for the time they are required to spend off the road by driving way too fast. Excessive speeds not only make accidents more likely to happen, but they increase the impact of a crash. In passenger vehicles, the effect is bad enough, but the weight of a tractor trailer makes it far more devastating.

Improperly loaded truck
Some drivers load and unload their own trucks. Others do not. Ultimately drivers are responsible for making sure that their trucks are properly loaded and that the load is properly secured. Drivers who load their own trucks are more likely to load them properly, but miss out on time to rest. Drivers who are in a hurry do not always thoroughly check their loads.

Loading a truck properly may not sound like rocket science, but when you are dealing with the massive amount of weight that a truck carries, an unbalanced load can easily toss a truck around and create a deadly crash. A load that is not properly secured can fall or fly off at highway speeds, hitting other vehicles and causing accidents.

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Trucking Accidents: Driver Fatigue

Trucks / Semis Accidents

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or if a loved one was killed in a trucking accident in Colorado, Wyoming or anywhere in the US, you will need an experienced trucking accident lawyer to represent you. Burg Simpson has the experience, and the resources, to ensure that you can recover the damages you deserve for your injuries and your losses. Please call or email our trucking accident attorneys today to schedule your free initial consultation.

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Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. is a law firm serving the Rocky Mountain Region. The firm has offices in Denver, Colorado, Cody, WY, Cincinnati, Ohio, & Phoenix, AZ. The Firm is responsible for the content on the website,this information is not to be interpreted as providing legal services,
nor as proposing any form of legal advice.