It takes a lot more skill and practice to safely drive a commercial truck than it does to manage a standard-sized passenger vehicle. Individuals who want to drive commercially have to go through specialized courses and qualify for a commercial driver’s license (CDL), which has much stricter rules than a standard driver’s license.
Despite the stricter requirements to get a commercial license, just passing and securing a CDL isn’t really enough for optimal public safety. Companies need to ensure drivers have hands-on training and the right support to do their jobs safely.
The hiring and training practices of commercial transportation companies can often put the public at unnecessary risk.
Staffing shortages may lead to bad hiring choices
In a perfect world, transportation companies would have their choice of workers and would only hire those with pristine driving records and plenty of hands-on experience. In the real world, companies often have to hire the person who’s available when they need help because there aren’t enough skilled commercial drivers on the road.
Some companies will hire someone who has had serious infractions previously or who has never driven a load. The company may exacerbate the risk of such decisions by failing to offer adequate training for those new employees. When you get hurt in a trucking collision caused by someone with very little experience or a poor professional driving record, you may be in a position to hold the company accountable, as opposed to the individual driver.
