Many truck accidents occur due to a lack of employees within the industry. When trucking companies do not have enough drivers, they will often increase the workload for existing drivers. This can lead to a range of issues that cause accidents.
With the current shipping crisis and labor crisis combined, the trucking industry is in a bad position. The WFAA explains these issues within the trucking industry could contribute to rising rates of truck accidents.
Meeting demands
Because of the shipping crisis, the demand on trucking companies is huge. These companies that have trouble finding drivers have to try to cover all the orders, which may lead to them making drivers work longer hours and haul heavier loads. Sometimes, these things happen outside the boundaries of the law that seek to keep people safe on the roads.
Struggling with costs
The demands and the lack of labor mean trucking companies have to make shifts in how they do things. Making the job worth it to drivers is tough because they know they will need to work long hours and deal with a lot of stress. Companies may have to start thinking differently about how they pay. For example, many companies do not pay when the driver is not moving.
So, when a truck sits waiting for someone to unload it, the driver loses money. With labor issues in all sectors, some drivers may sit for the majority of their day, which makes the job less attractive.
Many companies are boosting wages to try to lure in new drivers. This adds to the overall costs of shipping goods. That eventually passes on to the consumer, which means everyone is paying for the current crisis.
There is not an end in sight for the issues plaguing the trucking industry. It is tough to figure out how to balance everything to get more drivers on the road while also ensuring they are maintaining safety.
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