Truck Driver Shortages Increase Highway Dangers — Initiative to Hire Veterans is a Step in the Right Direction

What happens when trucking companies can’t find enough drivers to haul the billions of dollars in freight shipped by commercial trucks each year? Truck driver shortages cause trucking companies to push existing drivers harder and become less picky about the qualifications of new drivers they hire. The result is higher numbers of tired and unsafe drivers behind the wheel of big rigs and an increasing threat to motorists everywhere.

While there have been truck driver shortages in the past, the current shortage has been going on for years and shows signs of getting worse rather than better. Despite high unemployment rates across the nation, as the economy steadily improves the demand for goods and truckers to haul them far exceeds the influx of new drivers. Trucking companies continue to turn to an ever-aging population of existing truck drivers, unable to woo a younger workforce into the industry. An article on FleetOwner.com reported that more than half of the truck driver population is age 45 or older. In many cases, desperate trucking companies also turn to drivers with less-than-ideal driving records.

Four primary factors continue to fuel truck driver shortages:

• Increasing costs of training, requiring would-be truck drivers to fork over anywhere between $3,000 to $6,000 to get qualified on big rigs — the kind of cash laid-off construction and factory workers just don’t have
• Decreasing interest from young workers to take on over-the-road routes that keep them away from home and family — especially at typically low rates of pay
• Increasing regulations that limit driving time and hold drivers and freight companies more accountable (but generally contribute toward keeping highways safer)
• Stiffer hiring requirements mandated by insurance companies, often requiring new hires to be at least 21 to 23 years old and have at least 2 years of driving experience — leading 18-year-olds fresh out of high school to pursue other careers

As a Detroit-based personal injury law firm, we know that reliance on aging and under-skilled truck drivers increases the danger to motorists. Until the trucking industry makes truck driving more attractive, most likely through higher pay rates and better terms, and remedies this problem, commercial truck accidents are likely to increase.

Federal Program Encourages Soldiers to Enter Trucking Industry with Hopes to End Truck Driver Shortages

One step the federal government has taken to help alleviate the truck driver shortage is to make it easier for former military personnel with truck driving experience to obtain their commercial driver’s license. Approximately 44 states now take part in the program, which allows ex-soldiers to skip the skills portion of the CDL test if they have at least two years of truck driving experience in the military and a clean civilian driving record. These veterans are only required to take the written portion of the test.

This concept can be a win-win opportunity, creating more jobs for soldiers coming out of duty and keeping highways safer by filling driver openings with younger and, hopefully, safer drivers motivated to work. However there are some concerns about promoting the career field by making it easier to obtain a CDL. While candidates for the program must have truck driving experience, driving military trucks under combat conditions is not the same as driving an 18-wheeler on highways and city streets clogged with other drivers. Nor does a squeaky-clean non-commercial driver’s license necessarily translate into a good commercial driving record as handling a big rig is very different than driving a passenger vehicle. Still, we think this sort of program is a step in the right direction toward ending the country's truck driver shortages.

Commercial Truck Accidents Are No Small Matter

When passenger vehicles are involved in accidents with big rig commercial trucks, the damage is catastrophic. Death rates are much higher and injuries more severe when a commercial truck is involved. A 20-ton hunk of steel screaming down the highway at 55 miles per hour or faster doesn’t stop easily. But when a commercial truck driver or his vehicle is at fault for an accident, injury victims and families of wrongful death victims often have trouble getting the compensation they’re entitled to because of the ruthless defense put on by trucking companies and their insurance carriers.

In Michigan, the personal injury firm of Sachs Waldman, P.C., fights for individuals and families victimized by accidents involving commercial trucks. If you or someone you love has been in a crash with a commercial truck, our highly experienced attorneys understand the tactics used by trucking firms and insurance companies and can help you build a powerful case against them.

Call our Detroit truck accident attorneys toll-free today to schedule a free consultation: 1-800-638-6722.