Trucking accidents sometimes the result of poor driver training

Commercial truck drivers in New York and elsewhere have many tasks that they have to complete during their time on the road. Aside from getting cargo to its destination, the most important job truck drivers have is to operate their vehicles safely. Unfortunately, some lack the proper training to do that, and trucking accidents happen as a result.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has particular rules regarding truck driver training. Commercial driver’s licenses will not be granted to anyone who does not take and pass specific courses and hands-on training. The training guidelines will be changing a bit in 2020, but for now, they are as follows:

• Find an FMCSA approved training program

• Complete course for the type of license being sought — A or B

• Pass written test

• Perform certain skills in a truck — for public road and range

Why would the general public care to know about any of this? Most people who are not interested in being truck drivers or do not have anything to do with that industry will not care. However, anyone who has suffered injuries or lost loved ones in accidents with commercial trucks might want to know, as establishing inadequate or improper driving training could help such individuals seek compensation for their losses through legal means.

The problem with commercial driver training requirements is that there is no minimum amount of time a new driver has to spend in training before he or she is put out on the road with the general public. They may pass their tests, but it does not mean that they are ready for all the unexpected things that can and do happen on New York streets. When trucking accidents are believed the result of poor driver training, victims or — in the event of fatality — their surviving family members can turn to legal counsel for assistance establishing negligence, if possible, and seeking maximum relief for any damages sustained.