With more people opting to work from home, online shopping has slowly taken over as the best way to get anything you need without going to the mall or supermarket. As businesses look for ways to remain competitive, delivery trucks have replaced traditional ways of getting the items to the people.
Most companies use private delivery companies or their trucks to get the shopping to you. With more trucks on the road, the chances of accidents happening have increased.
“Sixty percent of Americans order delivery at least once every week.”
The accidents that arise due to delivery trucks have a genesis behind them. Today we look at instances when the delivery truck driver is at fault and what they do to cause accidents on the road.
1. Unexpected Stops
Deliveries are supposed to be efficient and fast. Typically, the driver is given a destination and a package they need to deliver within a specific time. Failure to do this usually results in penalties, which is why you find them making sudden stops without any warning. This leads to accidents because the vehicle behind the delivery truck will end up ramming into the rear of the truck or will swerve to avoid the collision.
2. Sudden Turns
A delivery van driver can make an unexpected turn when they realize that they have missed their delivery address. Sudden turns are hard for trucks and vans due to their size, and when a delivery driver decides to try this, he puts the lives of other road users at risk.
3. Distracted Driving
Delivery drivers use maps and listen to directions to avoid missing an address. Just because they deliver packages daily doesn’t mean that they know each and every address in the city – there are times when they have to use technology to get to the destination address.
The distraction brought about by technology can leave the driver distracted for a few seconds, and the moment they take their eyes off the road, anything can happen. Distractions also make the driver unable to respond promptly, especially in emergencies.
4. Speeding
Delivery drivers have a time frame in which they are supposed to get to the destination. As a customer, you must have found yourself in a situation whereby you have ordered food, and it hasn’t arrived on time, and your kids are impatient. You keep on calling the restaurant to know what happened to your order. This impatience is relayed to a driver, and maybe he has been caught in a traffic jam. With pressure mounting from the restaurant and the fact that the driver doesn’t want to lose his job, he drives faster to get the order fulfilled.
The results can be disastrous.
5. Inadequate Training
Not every driver you see delivering items is fully trained. Some are chosen to fill a slot or because the delivery company has added a few more vehicles to handle increasing orders. Effective training needs to be performed for every driver to mitigate the risks of handling a vehicle on busy streets.
If the drivers aren’t properly trained, they will have a harder time finding the delivery addresses and handling the car in the city.
6. Poor Supervision
Apart from ensuring the driver is adequately trained, the delivery company should watch out for signs of fatigue, impaired driving, or intoxication among their drivers. Just because a driver is willing to deliver the next package doesn’t mean he is in the right mind to do so. Supervisors need to be keen to identify these issues.
7. Mechanical Failure
Every delivery truck, van, or vehicle needs to maintain a strict schedule for mechanical repairs. Delivery trucks make several trips each day, leading to wear and tear. The truck needs to be assessed before it leaves the company to avoid accidents that arise due to negligence.
Why Call A Truck Accident Lawyer After Being Hit By A Delivery Truck?
If you have been involved in a crash caused by a negligent delivery truck driver, Corpus Christi truck accident lawyers can help you get compensated for your injuries and damages. Want to know more? Contact a lawyer today to schedule a free consultation.
