One of the first exclamations we here at the Russell & Ireland Law Group PLLC hear from those who have been involved in truck accidents in their disbelief that a trucker would do something as negligent as speed. Said clients are often surprised when it is pointed out that while such a decision may indeed be due to a truck driver’s own impatience, in many others they may feel pressured into doing so. You likely face similar pressure to meet deadlines and cater to customer demands in your own workplace; the obvious difference is that you caving to such pressure might be unlikely to endanger lives.
The companies that employ truck drivers want to please their customers. When one is in the transportation and freight industries, doing so requires meeting scheduled delivery times. Simple business principles imply that customers will work with those companies that can offer the fastest delivery times. Thus, motor carriers may feel pressured to offer the fastest times in order to procure new business.
It is when the offering of such times leads to the establishment of unrealistic demands that this practice becomes unethical (and potentially even illegal). Meeting truncated delivery promises may prompt carriers to set faster route times. Their drivers (in the interest of keeping their jobs) are likely willing to do all they can to meet such expectations.
That may include speeding to complete a route on time. Yet according to the Code of Federal Regulations, motor carriers cannot set route times that would require drivers to exceed posted speed limits in the areas they cover. Doing so could open these companies up to liability if one of their drivers injured you and/or others in an accident.
More information on assigning liability for truck accidents can be found here on our site.