Data collected by the American Trucking Association (ATA) and analyzed by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicates that truck drivers are safer than most people think. Over the past decade the rate of truck-involved fatalities has decreased by 40.6%.

ATA president and CEO Bill Graves has attributed the decrease in truck-involved fatalities to the billions of dollars invested by the ATA to improve safety; and we’ll have to agree.

Company and Driver Compliance has Come a Long Way

Over the past decade there have been numerous changes to the way trucking companies and drivers conduct their daily business. The ultimate goal of many of these changes has been to increase the training for and safety of big trucks on the road ways.

Trucking Associations and trucking companies across North America have made huge investments into proper training and resources to ensure that drivers are driving safely on the roads. Equipment is regularly checked and maintained by certified mechanics. Drivers are expected to complete regular, daily equipment checks to ensure that problems don’t arise while they are on the road. Safety and compliance managers are hired to stay in regular contact with drivers to ensure that all safety and compliance issues are being met. Drivers’ log books, the record of their trips by hour, are examined regularly to ensure that drivers are operating within the legal hours of service.

Trucking companies, such as Len Dubois Trucking, take these safety initiatives, training programs, regulations and laws seriously.

Truck Drivers Take their Jobs Seriously Too

Truck drivers are not monsters sitting behind the wheel of an 80,000 lb vehicle. Their mission in life is not to deliver freight at any cost. Truck drivers are people. They are husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends. They have families to return to. Their job is to deliver freight in a safe, timely manner and return home to their loved ones. This is why truck drivers take their jobs seriously.

This is their livelihood, the way they provide for themselves and their families. They are professionals who operate within the regulations because they know that if they are unsafe there will be consequences. Not only is there risk in loosing their job, the more important guide for their professionalism is the safety of other motorists on the road. They do not want to endanger anyone. They do not want to be responsible for injuring another person.

Roadway Safety Requires A Shared Effort

Len Dubois Trucking provides regular training and safety and compliance resources for all of our drivers. Safety and compliance is a team effort; one that is taken seriously by our staff and our driving team and one that should be taken seriously by all motorists on the road.

The data suggests that education and proper training go a long way to improve the safety on our roads. This has to be a shared effort. Road safety can not solely be placed on the trucking industry. In 2014 there were 32,672 motor vehicle deaths in the United States alone; 88% of these accidents had no truck involvement.

Just imagine the strides we could take in reducing the number of motor vehicle fatalities if we all drove our personal vehicles with the same professionalism and dedication to safety as the truck drivers we share the roads with.