If you share the road with trucks, as most of us do at some point, you need to be aware that some of the drivers may be too tired to drive safely.
It applies to drivers of all vehicles, yet if a truck driver is fatigued the potential for disaster is much higher due to the size of the rigs they drive. A truck with trailers could do far more damage than your average family car or SUV.
Truck drivers may also be more tired than other drivers
Like anyone, they are subject to all sorts of pressures in normal life that could cause tiredness. For example, they had a poor night’s sleep because their baby was crying all night, it was too hot to sleep or they lay awake worrying about how to meet the rent. Yet there are other pressures specific to their job which make tiredness more likely:
- They got delayed in traffic, so the journey (and thus their workday) has taken far longer than anticipated.
- They needed to do an extra pick-up because someone was ill or the company was short of staff
- They could not find a safe place to park and were kept awake worrying they’d be robbed
Most people can just stop when they know they are too tired to be doing so. Those in charge of a truck may not feel they can because doing so would cause them to miss deadlines for drop-offs and pick-ups, leading to problems with their boss.
If a truck injures you, it’s important to consider that driver tiredness may have been a factor. Getting help to learn more about your legal options will be crucial.