This video from Smart-Trucking.com talks about the risks and liabilities that are not often well known when entering the trucking industry.
The caption reads, “This is a topic RARELY addressed in the trucking industry. Trucking companies do not want their drivers to know these risks.
When a CDL driver is involved in an accident, there is the possibility that they could be sued or criminally charged, especially in this age of ‘distracted driving’.
Many professional truck drivers aren’t aware of the fact they could be personally liable, should they be found at fault in a particular accident. Many professional drivers believe, no matter what, the trucking company they work for will defend them against any and all charges while driving a truck.
This simply is not true. Are you willing to bet your life on the fact, that for some reason, they could leave you on your own to defend yourself? It can and does happen. This is one of the many reasons, truck driving jobs should pay well. A truck driving job is a risky job and it ought to pay accordingly. Risky jobs, for the most part, pay reasonably well.
This, however, does not seem to be the case in the trucking industry. Something all professional drivers ought to be aware of.”
The video begins with a truck driver speaking about the dangers of truck driving. The trucks are heavy, there is a lot of momentum involved with high speeds that can cause life-threatening situations. People can get hurt, people can die.
He thinks that the reason that truck driver used to get paid so well was because of the risks that they had to be willing to take. Now truck driving wages have substantially dropped, and in relation, truck drivers are faced with an even greater evil – distracted driving.
Truck drivers can be charged with a large variety of offenses from human trafficking, to possession with intent to sell controlled substances, some have even been charged with manslaughter. In lawsuits, trucks drivers will spend thousands and thousands of dollars to prove their innocence – they have to spend a fortune to defend their livelihood and driving reputation.
Trucking accidents are complex. Police could charge the wrong party, or incorrectly assess contributing factors to the accident. Trucking companies have a fixed amount of insurance. Sometimes lawsuit claims are greater than the trucking company’s maximum coverage.
His question then is, does your truck driving job pay enough that when you wake up in the morning you might not come home because you could either be in jail or severely injured on the road?
Does your trucking job pay enough to take that kind of risk?
Further, things can get messy when there are criminal charges against the driver, especially when those charges are distracted driving.
Truck drivers cannot just be responsible for driving straight down the road and shifting gears, people rely on truck drivers to have good judgment and good reaction time to keep everyone on the road safe.
Check out the video below for more.