Are truck companies doing all they can to prevent underrides?

If you are involved in a collision with an 18-wheeler, you are likely to end up in one of two places – the hospital or the morgue.

The more damage and injury truck drivers do, the higher the insurance premiums become for the owners. As a result, it is surprising when truck companies do not adopt cheap safety measures when they are available. 

Advocacy groups have petitioned transportation officials to make rear and side underride guards mandatory for trucks for several years. Earlier this year, a group of politicians introduced bills to that effect. Whether they become law depends in part on the progress of the infrastructure bill they are tied to.

Trucking associations do not want mandatory underride guards

The American Trucking Association has spoken out to try and stop underrides from becoming mandatory. They claim it is too expensive and would cost $2,900 for each rig. Considering that it costs around $9,000 to change the tires on a semi-truck, $2,900 seems like good value considering the lives and injuries it could save. $2,900 will not go far if you end up in the hospital, and it will just about buy a funeral casket.

If you are injured in a truck crash, it is essential to look at all options to claim compensation. Most truck drivers do not own their vehicles. Their employer does. While the driver was probably at fault, they can only drive the rig that the company provides them.

If a freight company has decided that profit is more important than safety, they need to pay up when their refusal to spend causes you harm. For an industry complaining it has too much work, refusing to spend on safety is inexcusable.