While truck drivers hold great responsibility at the steering wheel, heading down the highways of America, the trucking companies are held to an even higher standard.
New Truck Drivers: Who Holds Responsibility?
In most cases, trucking companies are responsible for everything that happens under their corporate names.
That being said however, truckers are the face of the corporation they work for. These new truck drivers are being judged on:
- Their driving skills and delivery speed,
- Unloading of cargo.
- Presentation/Quality of what is received at the final destination.
Trucking companies are putting large, extremely valuable amounts of inventory in the hands of truck drivers, along with company credibility.
Truckers must be ready to drive many thousands of miles to deliver cargo which they must have loaded and then will unload at their destinations.
They are responsible for paperwork, some of which could be scrutinized by authorities if there is an issue (such as an accident).
New truck drivers must make sure that the truck and cargo are being maintained properly along the way.
Obviously, good training for the truck driver benefits the trucking company. It should be said though: these drivers must also take into account the safety of other motorists.
The Cargo Weight of Truck Drivers
Truck drivers, both new and old, are behind the wheel of vehicles weighing 80,000 pounds and over, in contrast to that of a car weighing in at 4,000 pounds.
Good training helps prevent more accidents. It's prophylactic training. This helps insulate massive legal settlements and fees on the part of trucking companies, along with fines in some cases too.
While training programs vary, usually they last at least a few weeks (sometimes even months), involving both classroom and driving instruction.
New Truck Drivers: Their Training Programs
Usually, new truckers are paired with a supervising driver/trainer. Here, they learn the ropes of driving a big rig, but also receive instruction on handling cargo and maintenance issues too.
Today, however, as trucking companies are experiencing huge demand to deliver but may not have enough drivers, corners may be cut regarding training when cargo needs to get out on the road as soon as possible.
It's very easy to imagine why an untrained truck driver could get into serious trouble out on the highway. They pose as a hazard to everyone else driving innocently along.
Experienced a Trucking Accident From a New Truck Driver?
If you have been injured due to the negligence of others, please call the law offices of Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC as soon as possible at (713) 748-7453 or visit Attorney Sgt Pike for a no-obligation case review.
Attorney Sgt. Pike has developed a system to combat the various forces in the trucking industry. He fights daily to defend the rights of the wrongfully injured or killed.
Based on his training and experience as a Special Forces Operator (Army Green Beret), Attorney Sgt. Pike activates the Truck Accident Response Team or T.A.R.T. ™.
This occurs almost immediately after being hired in appropriate cases. T.A.R.T. ™. He then deploys his team to the area of the crash.
