Commercial truck drivers are required to undergo extensive levels of training to ensure they know how to safely operate the vehicles they are driving. With the low interest in truck driving careers, the once-extensive training has been minimized to a lower, ‘just enough’ approach to training drivers in order to encourage new, young drivers to join the biz. Unfortunately, but undoubtedly, when drivers lack the proper amount of experience and training, it’s far more likely that crashes and collision or accidents will happen.
Recently, a woman from New Mexico – Loretta Bruyeré – became the first female Grand Champion to win the New Mexico Truck Driving Championships competition. The competition has been around for 81 years and she became the first woman to join the long list of previous winners. With the decrease in interest to join the truck driving community, it is with both gratitude and pride that companies are seeing more female drivers join the business. She said that it took five years of pursuing truck driving before a company took her up on the offer.
Male or female, there is a certain level of training and licenses required in order to legally drive semi and cargo trucks in the United States. This applies to both the truck drivers as individuals, as well as the truck companies as a whole.
Training
The required level of training for commercial truck drivers will depend on various factors. To name a few, trainings may include:
- Specific training on the type of vehicle a driver will be handling
- Training on the nature of the cargo they will be transporting
- This may vary on whether cargo is hazardous and/or flammable
- It is often up to trucking companies to responsibly make sure that their truckers have the proper licensing and required training before allowing them to transport any cargo
- This includes a commercial driver’s license (CDL)
Truck companies are also required to:
- Provide any special training that may be necessary in order for their drivers to safe handle special types of vehicles and/or cargo
- Maintain records of the training they have provided for their drivers
- Maintain records of each driver’s licenses, credentials and special permits
If you believe you were involved in a truck accident with a driver who did not have the proper, required training to be on the job, contact us today for a free consultation. At Buckingham & Vega Law Firm, our lawyers are skilled at determining when truckers’ inexperience has contributed to accidents. Dedicated to helping our clients secure the compensation they deserve, our attorneys can help you protect your rights and identify (and pursue) your best recovery options after trucker inexperience causes crashes.