Accident Prevention in the Trucking Industry: How Insurance Plays a Role

Commercial truck drivers need to be aware of and mitigate the risks that often lead to accidents, including driver impairment, vehicle defects and failures, improper loading and adverse weather conditions. Along with following commercial truck accident prevention tips, it’s also necessary to have commercial insurance in place to keep an accident from putting your trucking business in financial peril.

Read on to learn more about trucking accident prevention, including what steps both drivers and trucking business owners need to take to make sure the company can haul freight safely and efficiently.

On This Page

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  What Are the Most Common Causes of Accidents for Truckers and Fleets?

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  How Can Truck Drivers Prevent Accidents?

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  What Safety Measures Should Fleet Managers and Truck Drivers Take?

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  Truck Accident Prevention FAQs

What Are the Most Common Causes of Accidents for Truckers and Fleets?

Read below to learn about some of the factors that commonly contribute to commercial trucking accidents.

1. Driver Fatigue

Tired drivers are far more likely to get into commercial vehicle accidents than well-rested ones, with an estimated 17.6% of fatal car accidents from 2017 to 2021 involving drowsy drivers.^[1] This is an especially prevalent risk in the trucking industry because employees may have to sleep in their trucks as they spend many days away from home at a time.

Although federal and state laws dictate how long truckers are allowed to drive, a trucker may be tempted to put in extra hours, especially if they are behind schedule. However, it’s crucial to follow these rules and avoid overworking yourself, as a load delivered late is far more valuable than a load that is lost due to an exhaustion-related truck accident.

2. Distracted Driving

Driver distraction is a major threat not only for trucking businesses but also for commercial drivers in general. A 2023 study found that 31% of respondents involved in accidents while driving for work admitted to being distracted at the time of the collision.^[2]

In particular, distracted drivers accounted for 6% of fatal accidents involving large trucks on average each year from 2015 to 2017. Common driver distractions you should be aware of and try to avoid include eating, daydreaming and using your cell phone behind the wheel.^[3]

3. Mechanical Failures

Although driver error is the primary cause of many traffic crashes, some accidents can be attributed to vehicle defects. For example, 5.6% of deadly large truck accidents from 2015 to 2017 involved some sort of issue with the truck itself. You could lose control of your truck and cause a collision if you experience a breakdown or mechanical failure of parts like the brakes, tires, lights, steering system or power train, among other parts.^[3]

4. Improper Loading

How cargo is stacked in a trailer can potentially contribute to a truck accident. For example, if freight is not packed tightly, then items could fall during the course of a trip, potentially causing a loud noise that could distract the truck driver and cause them to crash. Alternatively, if the cargo is not evenly distributed and one side of the trailer is significantly heavier than the other, it could cause the truck to tip over if the driver tries to take a sharp turn.

5. Weather Conditions

From 2015 to 2017, nearly 12% of fatal accidents involving large trucks occurred amid adverse weather conditions, such as rain, snow, hail, fog or severe crosswinds. Similarly, a little under 12% of fatal large truck accidents occurred on wet pavement, meaning wet roads can be dangerous for truck drivers even when it is not actively raining.^[3]

6. Speeding

Speeding also contributes to a substantial number of large truck accidents, with an average of about 7% of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2017 taking place while the driver was speeding.^[3] Even if the trucker stays within the speed limit, tractor-trailers become more dangerous at high speeds. As a result, more than one-third of fatal truck accidents in 2020 occurred on roads with speed limits between 50 and 55 mph, and another 40% occurred on roads with speed limits between 60 and 75 mph.^[4]

7. Truck Characteristics

Various intrinsic characteristics of semi-trucks can make their drivers more likely to get into accidents. For example, tractor-trailers have larger blind spots than smaller passenger cars and cannot slow down as quickly, both of which can make it more difficult for truck owner-operators to avoid crashing into other drivers.

8. Driving Under the Influence

Finally, truckers who drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol inhibit their own reaction times and decision-making abilities, greatly increasing their risk of experiencing a traffic accident. More than 5% of truckers responsible for deadly accidents from 2015 to 2017 tested positive for at least one drug.^[3]

You should note that federal regulations set the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for truck drivers at 0.04%, which is half of the legal limit for noncommercial drivers in most states.^[5]

As a result, drinking any amount of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer could potentially lead to the revocation of your commercial driver’s license (CDL).

How Can Truck Drivers Prevent Accidents?

To prevent big rig accidents from happening, drivers should follow semi-truck accident safety tips like these:

1. Keep a considerable distance between yourself and other vehicles, especially if you are driving at night or during a storm.
2. Be attentive so you can react to changes in driving conditions, such as a different speed limit or passenger vehicles braking in front of you.
3. Thoroughly check your blind spots before changing lanes.
4. Study your route in advance so you can be aware of potential hazards and avoid taking your eyes off the road to look at your GPS.
5. Plan your rest stops in advance and get plenty of sleep, especially during a multi-day trip.
6. Inspect your truck for signs of wear and tear or other damage before each trip.
7. Take the weight of your current load into account when determining how much time and distance to give yourself whenever you need to slow down.

What Safety Measures Should Fleet Managers and Truck Drivers Take?

One of the most important safety measures trucking business owners need to take is conducting thorough background checks before hiring new employees. Truckers who are experienced and have clean driving records are less likely to be involved in trucking accidents, meaning they should improve your company’s overall safety record.

Another useful step is establishing regular maintenance practices for your entire fleet so potential issues can be caught and fixed early. You should also require your employees to undergo rigorous safety training and implement mandatory accident prevention protocols, especially for truckers transporting hazardous materials. For example, you could create a policy requiring your drivers to exclusively communicate through citizens band (CB) radios while driving and to pull over if they need to use their cell phones for any reason.

Finally, you need to purchase a commercial auto insurance policy that includes physical damage coverage, primary liability coverage and any other coverage types that are required by law in your state. While insurance won’t keep truck accidents from happening, it can at least prevent an accident from leading to a catastrophic financial loss for your business.