Truck Driver Shortages Increasing the Risk of Trucking Accidents

If you or a loved one was hurt or killed in a trucking accident, you may be coping with devastating loss. The laws in Georgia allow you to obtain compensation from the driver or trucking company responsible for these losses. Contact an Atlanta, Georgia Trucking Accident Attorney at Van Sant Law, LLC today for help protecting your rights and getting the compensation you deserve.

Qualified Truck Drivers in High Demand

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for truck drivers is projected to increase by 21 percent by the year 2020. While this might sound like a good thing in times of persistent unemployment, the sad fact is that this is a major problem.

The issue: there are too many truck driver positions and not enough people to fill them. A July 2012 New York Times article indicated that there are already as many as 300,000 trucking jobs that are not being filled because there are not enough experienced drivers to take the jobs.

CNN also estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of jobs open for long-haul truck drivers to fill and that the positions are very difficult to fill already, with things only likely to get worse as the demand for truckers grows and too few people go into the field.

Truck Driver Shortage Leads to Safety Risks

Unfortunately, trucking companies still need to have people driving their trucks, as the companies can lose considerable amounts of money each day that they have trucks in their fleet that cannot go out.

When companies need to hire drivers and there are too few around with experience, trucking companies may be forced to hire drivers who meet only minimum safety qualifications. While drivers will still need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) by law, trucking companies may be forced to relax other safety requirements such as the policy of requiring two years of driving experience before driving a big rig.

If trucking companies hire drivers that don’t have as much experience or that meet only the bare minimum of safety qualifications, this means that there will be more inexperienced and more dangerous drivers on the road. This can significantly increase the risk of trucking accidents occurring.

An Atlanta, Georgia Trucking Accident Attorney Can Help

Trucking accidents can cause very serious injuries or even death to other motorists on the road. Truck drivers are expected to behave with reasonable care when driving their vehicles to prevent crashes, and a lack of experience does not excuse a driver’s obligation to operate the truck in a safe manner.

Trucking companies are also expected to be reasonably prudent in their hiring decisions and can be considered negligent if they hire a driver who cannot safely operate his vehicle.

If you or a loved one was hurt by an inexperienced driver, you may have a legal claim against the driver and against the trucking company. An Atlanta, Georgia Trucking Accident Attorney at Van Sant Law, LLC, can assist you in making your claim and obtaining the compensation you need and deserve.

To learn more about how our Atlanta, Georgia Trucking Accident Attorneys can help you, call us at (800) 234-9556 or contact us online today to schedule your free no-obligation consultation.