In Wisconsin, tractor-trailer accidents are among the deadliest and most devastating. Over 85 percent of the fatalities in accidents involving large trucks and passenger cars, are the occupants of passenger cars. Road safety experts have spent time analyzing the cause of crashes with 18-wheelers and have concluded that up to 25 percent of these accidents can be attributed to truck drivers who are drowsy or falling asleep behind the wheel, losing focus and concentration, or speeding to reach their destination on time.
What does a truck driver’s pay have to do with road accidents?
Almost all interstate truck drivers are paid-by-the-mile. The system allows motor carriers to pay only the productive (driving) hours, and to keep the pressure on their drivers to deliver the goods on time. Candidate drivers may be attracted by this system because the pay can be good if the drivers stay on the road for long hours.
The pay-by-the-mile system keeps truck drivers on the road far longer than they should be, and this has serious consequences for all Wisconsin motorists who share the road with them.
How does the pay-by-the-mile system lead to more Wisconsin tractor-trailer crashes?
Truck drivers spend a disproportionate amount of time earning nothing. This includes: time to buy fuel, service and repair for their truck, time spent in traffic jams and weigh stations, time waiting to unload or pick up cargo, time stowing and securing cargo on the trailer, time searching for a rest stop or parking slot, time waiting to receive the next assignment. This leaves little time during which the truck driver earns a wage. From these wages the truck driver will have to deduct all the out-of-pocket expenses that come with the job: restaurant meals, parking space at the truck stop, toll road and scale fees, motor oil and other fluids and phone bills.
Is it surprising that truck drivers who are caught in this system will take any load, at any time of the day or night, no matter how tired they are, and how far they are from home? Is it surprising that a truck driver will tend to ride as fast as he or she can, to reach their destination?
After a devastating semi-truck accident, you may need the advice of a Wisconsin personal injury attorney with considerable experience in dealing with motor carriers and their insurers.
If you have been injured in a Wisconsin or Illinois car, truck or motorcycle accident, contact today the attorneys of Hupy & Abraham, S.C. today at 800-800-5676 (toll-free) or 414-223-4800 (local) for a free evaluation of your case, or send us an e-mail with your questions. Hupy & Abraham have lawyer offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton in Wisconsin, and Gurnee and Bloomington in Illinois.