Many commercial vehicle crashes are caused by mistakes made by commercial drivers or even issues with their vehicles. When looking at the underlying cause of commercial crashes, observational failures and inappropriate decisions in traffic are among the leading causes of wrecks.
Issues with the vehicle itself are another top cause of semi-truck collisions. Researchers also know that non-performance on the part of the trucking professional could potentially cause a crash. Non-performance means that a truck driver becomes incapable of controlling a vehicle due to a medical emergency or falling asleep at the wheel.
How often do such incidents occur?
Long shifts cause drowsiness
Many truck drivers are on the road for 10 hours or more per day. Companies may schedule them for the maximum amount of drive time possible for optimal operational efficiency. Unfortunately, this approach to scheduling means that commercial drivers must constantly battle their own internal clocks, which may tell them it is time to rest.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that roughly 12% of all semi-truck collisions where the commercial vehicle is at fault occur due to non-performance. Some of those collisions occur due to medical emergencies, but many of them involve fatigue-related involuntary sleep.
Many drivers may also experience microsleeps, where they doze off for a few seconds but do not cause a crash. Fatigued driving is a more serious safety issue than many people realize, and it is especially dangerous for those operating large commercial trucks.
Holding a truck driver or their employer responsible for long shifts that create unsafe circumstances may require a lawsuit after a commercial truck crash. People who understand the underlying cause of a collision that caused them harm are generally in the best possible position to take legal action after a wreck.