Big rigs are undoubtedly the top of the driving food chain, dominating the roads in Florida and across the nation. When you are faced with the intimidating size and power of an 18-wheeler, it is only natural to wonder about the person behind the wheel, charged with keeping that power safely in check. However, it seems that every day sees accidents involving big trucks.

One issue that is a serious problem in the trucking industry is chronic fatigue. This is due to the fact that drivers live with ongoing sleep deprivation as a result of irregular schedules. The combination creates a constant sense of tiredness that truckers endure and it can have dire consequences.

It is estimated that 13 percent of fatal truck accidents are attributed to drivers running on too little sleep. The National Transportation Safety Board has called the problem of trucker fatigue one of the top causes of big rig crashes. The issue was highlighted when the NTSB found that sleep deprivation was a primary factor in the 2014 crash of a Walmart truck that seriously injured Tracy Morgan, a popular comedian.

NTSB’s report showed that the operator of the truck had been awake for 28 hours when he struck Morgan’s vehicle. Morgan was put into critical condition by the crash, which also claimed the life of another comedian. With increasing pressure to satisfy the bottom line causing more strain on drivers, you would be wise to give big rigs a wide berth.

Source: Al Jazeera America, “Trucker exhaustion poses grave danger to US motorists, say labor experts,” accessed June 9, 2016