There are multiple ways that trucking companies can limit crashes involving their employees and fleet vehicles. For example, fleet vehicle maintenance and appropriate training for all workers can substantially reduce the likelihood of a crash caused by a commercial truck. Companies that keep their vehicles in optimal driving condition and ensure that each worker can safely manage fleet vehicles also reduce the risk of an employee causing a crash.
Underride collisions are among the most devastating types of crashes. They occur when a smaller vehicle strikes the rear or side of a semi-truck and ends up underneath the trailer of the truck. Trucking companies could prevent almost all underride collisions with proactive investments in safety equipment.
Why quality underride guards are critical to safety
Underride guards may be costly, but they are devices that save lives when a crash occurs. Trucking companies may not invest in the best rear underride crash guards but instead in the cheapest ones that meet all federal standards.
Many companies completely forego side underride guards between the axles on a trailer because federal law does not yet mandate them. To save money in fuel costs and equipment expenses, transportation companies gamble with the safety of others in traffic. In scenarios where better underride guards could have reduced the severity of a devastating collision, a transportation company may be partially liable for ignoring the risk presented by its vehicles.
When trucking companies put profit ahead of safety, they may be liable for the losses generated by commercial truck crashes involving their fleet vehicles. When someone is injured in one of these crashes, reviewing crash circumstances, including vehicle maintenance records, can help them or their surviving loved ones pursue justice.