No Driver is Exempt from the Rules of the Road

There are more than 243 million licensed drivers in the United States. Altogether, these drivers travel about 11 billion miles each day.

Keeping our roads safe requires every driver — no matter their age, experience or vehicle — to follow the rules. Both semi tractor-trailer drivers and passenger vehicle drivers have a duty to operate their vehicles safely.

What happens if they don’t?

On episode 57 of After the Crash, we heard from Akeem Hicks, a professional trucker who has seen the best and worst of the country’s roads. Find out what he had to say.

Driving Semi-Trucks is Harder than You Might Think

To drive a semi-truck or another commercial motor vehicle, you must first receive your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). This entails training and testing, which can be challenging for many new truck drivers.

Truckers are held to stricter rules than other drivers. They must follow the CDL Manual, which gives them instructions for inspecting their vehicles, securing and transporting cargo, reacting to hazardous conditions, and anything else related to driving safely.

Why do commercial truckers have so many rules?

The answer is simple: Semi tractor-trailers and other heavy trucks are difficult to operate and can cause horrible wrecks if misused.

As a guest on After the Crash, Akeem Hicks told host David Craig that it is challenging to drive an 18-wheeler.

“You’ve got to have a crazy confidence out there,” he said. Especially when it comes to backing the 40-ton vehicles into a tight spot, truckers must trust themselves and their training.

Podcast host and managing partner David Craig took his attorneys to Montana a few years ago to gain firsthand experience operating semi-trucks. Truck accident lawyers represent crash victims, but many of them have never sat behind the wheel of a semi. The experience showed the attorneys that big rigs are unwieldy and that extensive training is necessary for new drivers.

Unfortunately, when companies need drivers, some of them overlook training requirements. Some truckers spend only two or three weeks training before earning their CDL. Negligent motor carriers skip background checks or driving record checks, hiring potentially dangerous drivers.

This is part of a larger trend in the commercial trucking industry to prioritize profits over safety. Read more on that here.

Construction Zones Can Be the Most Dangerous Areas on the Road

Akeem came to personal injury law firm Craig, Kelley & Faultless as the victim of a semi-truck wreck. He had been hauling a load down I-65 when another truck driver crashed into his semi.

The wreck occurred in a construction zone.

Work zones are notorious for their wrecks. Speeding, distracted driving, swerving, tailgating and other reckless behaviors are likely to cause crashes in work zones. The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse estimates that around 96,000 work-zone crashes occurred in 2022.

These crashes killed about 890 people. In Indiana, about 24 people died in work-zone crashes that year.

Attorney David Craig said he has represented countless injured or deceased victims of construction zone truck wrecks. He said one major cause is the traffic buildup that occurs with lane closures.

“I had one [case] down in Kentucky where the semi driver had his truck on cruise control, and he’s just going on down the road,” David said. “Then, all of the sudden, traffic is backed up, and he doesn’t stop, and he kills seven people.”

The Commercial Driver’s License Manual, the state-by-state document that instructs truck drivers, says this about work zones:

• “Speeding is the number one cause of injury and death in roadway work zones. Observe the posted speed limits at all times when approaching and driving through a work zone. Decrease your speed for adverse weather or road conditions. Decrease your speed even further when a worker is close to the roadway.”
• “When people are working on the road, it is a hazard. There may be narrower lanes, sharp turns, or uneven surfaces. Other drivers are often distracted and drive unsafely. Workers and construction vehicles may get in the way. Use your four-way flashers or brake lights to warn drivers behind you.”

Big Issues in Commercial Trucking: Distractions, Parking, Weather, Road Rage

The hardest part of being a professional truck driver? Avoiding distractions, Akeem said.

Phone notifications, GPS alerts, construction, billboards, accidents, music, etc. The distractions a trucker must ignore are countless. However, it is critical that a semi driver keeps his eyes on the road, his hands on the wheel, and his mind on the job. It is true that even a few seconds of inattention can cause a semi driver to rear-end another car, swerve into an adjacent lane, or strike a nearby object.

Hand in hand with distraction is drowsiness.

Akeem said, at times, he was driving nine to 11 hours per day — some shifts lasting 14 hours if the shipper was running behind. Then, he would have to turn around and do it all again the next day.

“That tiredness turns into fatigue if you’re not managing your sleep properly,” Akeem told David.

Another issue today is the lack of accessible parking for large trucks. Because FMCSA enforces hours-of-service regulations, truckers are supposed to take periodic breaks. However, sometimes they cannot find safe places to pull off the road.

In these situations, truck drivers must be able to make the best decisions they can, while prioritizing the safety of themselves and other drivers.

Similarly, semi drivers are required to act wisely when faced with bad weather. For example, the FMCSA tells commercial motor vehicle drivers to use extreme caution when visibility or traction is affected, decreasing their speed or pulling off the road altogether.

Akeem said the worst weather situation he ever experienced was on I-80 in Nebraska. Thick, heavy snow was blowing from one side of the interstate to the other. Several drivers passed him because he was driving so slowly.

“But you get an hour down the street, and they’re jackknifed, or they’re turned over,” Akeem said. “Just take your time, people. If anybody is in a rush, just slow down; let them go ahead.”

Unfortunately, today, most drivers are in a rush. Road rage is at an all-time high, and, when between a car and a loaded tractor-trailer, it can become catastrophic. Attorney David Craig advises drivers to stay level-headed, even when a truck cuts them off or causes traffic.

“Whatever it is, it is not worth dying for,” he said. David has represented clients who were intentionally struck by aggressive semi drivers who chased them down. Road rage is serious — especially between a car and a truck weighing nearly 20 times more.

They’re Big, Bulky and Blindsided — Give Trucks More Room

It can be hard, as a passenger vehicle driver, to understand why a semi tractor-trailer is driving so slowly or staying so far back from other cars.

Though frustrating, this is necessary.

Large trucks can have huge blind spots in the front, sides and rear of their tractor-trailers. The blind spot on the right side is the biggest. If a car is driving alongside a semi, it may be completely invisible to the trucker.

Because big rigs require more distance to slow down and stop, they should maintain a large gap between them and the cars ahead of them. Unfortunately, passenger drivers see this gap and fill it, not realizing that they’re putting themselves in danger.

It’s frustrating that the average driver doesn’t understand why semis must stay slow and steady, Akeem said. For example, when his truck is climbing a hill, it seems slow. Cars speed past him and re-enter the lane in front of him, not realizing that gravity will pull the 70,000-pound truck down the hill quickly once it reaches the top.

“I don’t think people understand how dangerous that situation right there is,” Akeem said.

There are a few things that drivers should know about heavy trucks:

• If it is turning right, a semi may first swerve to the left, since its size makes it difficult to turn tightly.
• When a car is stopped on the side of the road, truckers will switch to the opposite lane to keep the car’s passengers safe.
• Always pass semis on the left. Passing on the right is significantly more dangerous.
• Semis require hundreds of feet to come to a stop. Avoid slamming on your brakes if a semi is close behind you.

Akeem said some truck drivers have big egos and drive as if they own the roads. In the industry, they’re known as “super truckers.” But even super truckers aren’t invincible. Weather, mechanical issues, traffic and other obstacles should serve as reminders that all drivers must respect the rules of the road.

Final Thoughts

As a professional truck driver and a personal injury client, Akeem has a unique perspective. He recognizes that reckless truckers give their industry a bad name but wishes passenger drivers were a bit more patient with commercial vehicles.

At the end of the day, Akeem said, “It’s a dance. You want to keep the rhythm flowing.”

Following speed limits and staying focused, maintaining safe following distances, and acting appropriately in work zones are a few ways all drivers can keep the rhythm of the roads flowing without endangering others.

Attorneys for Truck Accidents and Personal Injury

At Craig, Kelley & Faultless, our team works tirelessly to help the victims of large-truck accidents recover. Our 10 attorneys represent injured survivors and their families nationwide and are licensed in Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa and Tennessee.

We can help you if you were struck by a commercial motor vehicle, like a:

• Semi tractor-trailer
• Dump truck
• Box truck
• Bus
• Farm vehicle
• Flatbed truck

Contact Craig, Kelley & Faultless today for a free case consultation by calling (800) 746-0226 or submitting an online form.

 

David W. Craig is a nationally recognized truck accident lawyer who sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. He was the recipient of the National Thurgood Marshall “Fighting for Justice” Award for his work helping victims of truck wrecks. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help people navigate a terrible situation by answering questions that come after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.