Driving a truck is a dangerous job. The trucking industry is a place that currently has many open positions. People are not turning to this industry as quickly as they once did due to the risks they face.
Interestingly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics believes that job growth will continue to grow in the trucking sector by around 21 percent over the next decade. By 2020, it’s expected that there will be over 330,000 new trucking jobs. These jobs can be filled, but it’s hard to find workers who want to continue under the conditions that many truck drivers face in today’s world.
What is the problem with trucking jobs?
Driving a truck is dangerous for a number of reasons that may be self-evident. Besides the potential for getting into an accident, there are risks associated with loading materials, sitting for long amounts of time and other factors involving responsibilities on the job.There are occupations that have higher rates of fatalities, but truck drivers make up the greatest number of fatalities overall. Nationwide, occupations in the transportation and material-moving industries make up around one out of every four fatal accidents that take place on the job.
One of the biggest safety risks for drivers is the risk of fatigue. There are a number of things that contribute to fatigue on the job including long hours behind the wheel, long work days and short breaks for sleep.
Being able to have access to more truck stops would be beneficial for truck drivers who need a place to rest. Public rest areas may actually wake drivers after a few hours, which means that they don’t get as much sleep as they need at one time. It should be encouraged to allow commercial drivers to stay at rest areas for at least four hours to improve the quality of their sleep.
It is also important that companies take rest seriously. Someone who is extremely tired can be just as dangerous as someone who is intoxicated. It’s that kind of hazard that could result in a crash, hurting a truck driver and potentially others on or around the roads.
Trucking safety is something everyone has to take seriously. Driving for a trucking company shouldn’t mean throwing safety out the window and ignoring fatigue. Getting enough rest will help drivers stay safer on the roads and prevent injuries to themselves and others.