There are many different factors that can cause truck accidents. Some of them, such as distracted driving, may be the fault of the driver – which is why the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration bans the use of handheld devices. Other factors, such as a load shift incident or problems with the maintenance on the vehicle, could be the fault of the trucking company itself, rather than the driver.
As such, it’s very important to identify why a truck accident has occurred, who is liable and how to seek potential compensation if you have been injured. One thing to keep in mind is that the way truck drivers are paid could actually make accidents more common. Are companies liable for putting excessive pressure on their drivers?
How are truck drivers paid?
There are certainly truck drivers who are paid a salary or even an hourly wage, but it’s not the norm. Most of the time, their pay rate is based on the miles that they cover. They will get a certain number of cents for each mile logged during that pay period.
This is done to encourage truck drivers to be productive, but the issue is that it means truck drivers can only increase their pay by covering more miles in a certain amount of time. If a truck driver gets behind schedule because they get caught in a traffic jam, are they then more likely to drive aggressively or break the speed limit to make that time back up? Will a truck driver’s financial issues outside of work – like being short on rent – cause them to take more financially-motivated risks on the road?
These issues can cause severe accidents that lead to serious injuries. If you’ve been hurt, you need to know how to seek financial compensation.