Trucking Industry Faces Driver Shortage and What This Means for Safety

TYLER and LONGVIEW, Texas. According to CNBC, the American trucking industry needs another 50,000 drivers to keep up with shipping demands. As a result of the gap, companies have had to raise prices as they struggle to find drivers. As the trucking industry faces a shortage, it also faces closer regulatory scrutiny. Truckers are now required to log their miles electronically, which means that they can less readily falsify logs. Truck companies can’t as easily fill in the gaps by asking truckers to work longer hours. This is good news for truck safety.

Why is there such a driver shortage? According to Forbes, truck drivers might not always be paid for every hour of work they perform. They might only be paid by the mile. This means there might be many hours that truck drivers are on the job where they aren’t getting paid. Forbes suggests that the industry might be able to recruit more drivers if it increases its wages.

Another reason why there may be a shortfall of drivers has to do with the Great Recession. During this period, freight shipping was reduced and some drivers stopped working as a result. In the interim, some drivers retired or found other jobs and never returned to the trucking industry, even though shipping needs have increased.

Another major problem is that the trucking industry might have willing drivers, but these drivers might not always be qualified. Drivers with certain illnesses or poor driving records are not permitted to hold a commercial driver’s license. Companies that hire drivers known to have a medical condition that could interfere with driving or who have a record of driving infractions in the past could be held negligent should something happen behind the wheel. Truck drivers are also aging, which means that more drivers might be subject to medical restrictions. Here is where the danger lies. If the trucking industry looks the other way when drivers become sick because it doesn’t want to lose drivers, more drivers on the road could be working with serious or debilitating medical conditions.

In the event of a truck accident, many factors must be investigated. Among the factors is the truck driver’s health and whether the driver was taking any potentially dangerous medications. The truck industry needs to pay drivers a fair wage to attract more qualified drivers. Unfortunately, sometimes the industry chooses to cut corners by keeping drivers on the road who should not be there.

If you or a loved one was hurt in a truck accident in Tyler or Longview, Texas, the Cooper Law Firm are truck accident attorneys who work closely with victims and families to help them seek the justice they may deserve under the law. You may only have a limited amount of time to make a claim under the law. Visit our firm at https://www.cooper-law-firm.com/ to learn more about your options or rights. Our lawyers can investigate your claim, see whether your driver was qualified to be on the road, and fight to help you get the settlement you may deserve under the law.

Cooper Law Firm
501 N Third St,
Longview, TX 75601
Telephone: (903) 297-0037