The average trucker on the road today is around 55 years old. These individuals will be retiring in the upcoming years, but there aren’t enough younger truckers to take the loads that these individuals are hauling. The shortage of truckers is getting more serious as time progresses. It is estimated that there will be a shortage of around 900,000 in this country by 2027.
You might wonder why this is important to the general public. For one thing, a lot of freight can’t be moved without the help of truckers. Another problem of the shortage is the impact it has on road safety when truckers push their limits. There are limitations on the number of hours they can drive per shift and on a rolling 7-day or 8-day week.
Truckers forced to drive long hours or take longer hauls run the risk of operating their rigs while they are fatigued. There is sometimes very little they can do to combat this fatigue because of the tight deadlines that trucking companies often have for these loads.
Individuals who are struck by a fatigued trucker might question why the driver didn’t just stop and rest. This is only one of the questions that might come up if the injured parties choose to pursue claims for compensation for the injuries they suffered. Just remember that if you are in this position, you need to consider your options carefully but quickly since you only have a limited amount of time to get the lawsuit filed without your case proscribing and leaving you without legal recourse.