Last week we referred to a recent investigation by WEWS-TV into the loopholes in federal regulations that allow some truck drivers to remain behind the wheel despite speeding tickets or truck accidents. While our previous post about the station’s investigation referred to a July 2009 crash caused by a truck driver who had been ticketed 15 times for speeding since 1990, that crash was just one of the more than 8,000 truck accidents that occurred in Ohio in 2009.
The investigation also found 3,471 Ohio truckers currently have their commercial driver’s license (CDL) suspended because of serious violations, although WEWS said, “many of those same truckers will be back behind the wheel in a matter of weeks or months.”
Multiple groups offered different solutions to WEWS. The American Trucking Associations, the largest national trade association for the trucking industry, is calling for new and tougher CDL rules, including a system for tracking truckers with serious violations. The Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, an international trade organization representing more than 150,000 truckers nationwide, blames lack of training. And the Truck Safety Coalition, a partnership between the Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) Foundation and Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.), says the entire system of oversight needs to be overhauled.
Moore Law Firm – Cincinnati truck accident attorneys
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one as a result of another person's negligence, you deserve to be fully compensated for your losses. The simple fact is that you should not be forced to pay the price for another person's careless or reckless actions.