Are truck drivers the safest drivers?

Studies have shown that professional drivers are safer drivers than nonprofessionals. Large trucks have an overall crash rate 29% lower than other vehicles, and the number of large truck-involved fatal crashes fell 32% from 1985 to 2015, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Are truckers the safest drivers?

The Department of Labor (DOL) singles out trucking as one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. In fact, transportation and logistics fleets have some of the highest numbers of injuries and fatalities on the job—and those numbers seem to only grow year over year.

Is being a truck driver peaceful?

“The good part of being a truck driver is the peace-and-quiet. You can set your schedule, meet lots of people and see lots of cool places.”

What is the life expectancy of a truck driver?

2 Fast Lane blog: "According to the (CDC), the average life expectancy for a commercial truck driver is 61 years.

What is the number one cause of death for truck drivers?

Crashes are the leading cause of on-the-job death for truck drivers in the US.

Top 10 Safety Tips for New Truck Drivers

Are trucks safer than cars?

A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed that drivers and passengers of pickup trucks are 2.5 times more likely to suffer fatal injuries in a traffic accident. What Makes Pickup Trucks More Dangerous? The data is clear that pickup trucks are more dangerous than cars, minivans, and SUVs.

How often do truckers crash?

Did you know that about every 15 minutes, a person is killed or seriously injured in an accident caused by tractor trailers, also called 18-wheelers or big rigs or semi-trucks? In fact, around 500,000 trucking accidents occur each year in the United States, with about 5,000 per year resulting in death.

Do truckers age faster?

How “Truck Driver Face” Develops. As you drive a truck day after day, the right side of your face will be mostly shielded from the sun as the left begins to see frequent, if not constant, sun exposure. This leads to your left side aging more quickly, with signs of thickening skin, thick wrinkles, and premature aging.

Why do truck drivers quit?

There are many individuals with the training and skills needed to fill these truck driving job positions. But due to low pay and less than desirable working conditions, many are leaving the industry, in search of a better career.

Is it worth being a trucker?

Truck drivers can earn a good income. How much does a truck driver make? On average drivers earn $50,909, while Over The Road (OTR) drivers who haul freight over long distances earn on average nearly $64,000 per year. Private fleets- those that deliver freight only for one company- often have much higher levels of pay.

What are the disadvantages of being a truck driver?

What are the sacrifices of being a truck driver?

Truck drivers often stay gone from their families for days, sometimes weeks at a time. They deal with rush hour traffic, closed roads and interstates, inclement weather and poor driving conditions. They very often deal with discourteous motorists, poor quality and expensive food, and irregular sleeping habits.

Is trucking a good career?

Truck driving is a good career for those looking to make a high income without a college degree. On average first year drivers can earn between $50,000 and $70,000. That may seem like a big variance, but income levels depend on the type of driving (IE: flatbed, tanker, teams, etc.) and company you work for.

How risky is being a truck driver?

The answer is an emphatic yes. Every time a truck driver gets behind the wheel, he or she is at risk. In fact, of the top 25 deadliest occupations in America, truck driving ranks seventh on the list. Truck drivers also face the highest number of fatalities of any job, at a rate of 918 fatalities each year.

What kind of people are truckers?

Truck drivers tend to be predominantly realistic individuals, which means that they often enjoy working outdoors or applying themselves to a hands-on project. They also tend to be conventional, meaning that they are usually detail-oriented and organized, and like working in a structured environment.

How safe are semi trucks?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 450,000 accidents involving large trucks occur every year in the U.S. At least 5,000 motorists die every year as a result of an accident involving a semi and approximately 140,000 people are seriously injured in large truck accidents each year.

What's the hardest part of being a truck driver?

Is the trucking industry dying?

Reported by Business Insider, Goldman Sachs predicts 300,000 truck driving jobs will be lost per year, starting in 2042 or sooner. Qualified drivers will eventually be replaced by computers (and a small number of human handlers).

Are truck drivers in demand 2021?

American Trucking Associations estimates that the industry needs 80,000 more drivers. That figure is expected to worsen in the years ahead with a lack of new drivers to offset retirements and growing demand.

Can a truck driver be healthy?

Life on the road for a truck driver can become an all consuming lifestyle. Sadly, this lifestyle often reflects a lack of care for one's own health. Truck drivers on average due to their lifestyle, statistically have more health problems and shorter life spans than people in other careers.

Do truck drivers have lower life expectancy?

Being in the truck driving profession contributes to a shorter lifespan for truck drivers - shorter than for others in other occupations. In fact, it has been said a truck driver's life span can have as much as 16 years cut off of a normal life expectancy as compared to others.

At what age do most truck drivers retire?

Currently, the average retirement age for truck drivers is 62 years old. However, according to the OOIDA, most independent drivers plan on retiring at 67 years of age. While the average retirement age for drivers is a good estimate, it does not accurately reflect how individual drivers feel about retirement.

Why do truckers have to be 21?

Why Is There a Truck Driver Age Limit? Minimum age limits from the federal government and trucking companies are designed to keep roads as safe as possible. Driving commercial motor vehicles comes with a lot of responsibility, and regulations are designed to prevent accidents caused by less experienced drivers.

Are trucks more likely to get into accidents?

Truck drivers have a disproportionately high crash rate per driver when compared with other license holders.

What percentage of truck accidents are fatal?

Semi-Truck Accident Statistics

This means that truck accidents make up about 6.5 percent of total accidents. However, truck accidents make up twice the percentage of fatal crashes. Of those 388,000 large truck accidents, 28 percent (107,000) resulted in injury and over 11 percent (4,415) resulted in a fatality.