Commercial vehicles are plentiful on Louisiana roadways. They include everything from large semi trucks to passenger busses. These vehicles are almost always the largest ones on the road. When they cause or are involved in an accident, it often results in serious injuries and even deaths. Because of this, it is imperative to be aware of them when you are on the roads and to understand how to avoid an accident with one.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the majority of people, 51 percent, who hold a commercial driver’s license drive interstate, meaning they are driving in multiple states. In 2014, there were a total of 279.1 billion miles traveled by large trucks.
Commercial vehicles and drivers are subject to many more regulations than you are as a passenger vehicle driver. They must meet all types of requirements to be legal on the road. To ensure these drivers are following the laws, states and federal agencies require routine inspections. In 2015 there were 129,577 inspections by federal entities and 3,248,595 by state entities. During these inspections, common violations found included drivers who were not keeping driving logs current, speeding, driving beyond the hour limits, not wearing seat belts, not obeying traffic signals and those who did not speak English. Vehicle violations included bad breaks, lights being out, tire issues and gas or oil leaks.
In 2014, roadways in the U.S, saw 29,989 fatal accidents. About 12 percent of those involved a commercial vehicle. In non-fatal crashes, which totaled 6,035,000, almost eight percent involved a commercial vehicle. This information is only intended to educate and should not be interpreted as legal advice.