Experience is one of the main keys to safe driving, especially when it comes to truck driving. These vehicles are very difficult to drive safely, and spending hours on the road often helps drivers as much as any training they can get.
Right now, truck drivers are fairly experienced. One report from the American Trucking Associations put the average age at 49. Most drivers have been doing this for a while, and it is a career that many young people do not seem inclined to pursue.
However, this could lead to some serious problems for the industry. The same report also indicated that there is currently a shortage of truck drivers, and it has only been getting worse as the economy gets better. The report said that from 2015 to 2025 the trucking industry will be forced to bring on 890,000 new truck drivers.
That’s almost 100,000 new truck drivers every single year, if the trends hold. These are drivers with very little experience or none at all. Many older drivers who have spent decades on the road will retire. They will be replaced by drivers with little or no experience.
Will that lead to an increase in accidents? Will the strain on the industry force companies to hire anyone they can get, rather than being selective? What does that mean for other drivers, who now face a higher risk from trucks?
If you suffer injuries in an accident with a semi, make sure you know all of the options you have to seek out financial compensation.