For people in the Tampa area, it may seem as if there are more tractor trailers appearing on the highways and freeway systems, and they would be right in this assumption. According to the Commercial Carrier Journal, over the next nine years, the amount of freight transported by semis is expected to grow as the demand for goods by consumers increases. By 2025, the trucking company is expected to handle 71.4 percent of all freight shipping. This increase is expected to make competition among established trucking companies and companies that are starting to offer similar services more intense.
However, it could also lead to rising numbers of the people that are killed in accidents involving tractor trailers. A great deal of attention has been brought recently to the violation of rest rules established by the federal government by truckers and trucking companies as they try to meet this growth and keep customers happy. Multiple reports exist that show truckers remaining on the road more hours than they are allowed and how this puts others on the road at high risk.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety backs up these claims, pointing out violations of these rules were commonly reported in surveys conducted. This is despite that during a period of seven days, truckers cannot drive more than a total of 77 hours and no more than 11 hours at a time. The IIHS also reports that the number of deaths connected to truck accidents has risen. In 2014, truck related crashes accounted for 11 percent of all deaths involving motor vehicles; passenger vehicle occupants made up 68 percent of those deaths.
