How Truck Companies Pressure Employees to Break the Law

Trucking companies often operate with one simple adage in mind: the faster you deliver, the more money you make. While there’s nothing wrong with the pursuit of profit, the problem in this mindset arises from the fact that many truck companies pressure their employees to break the law for the betterment of the bottom line, causing no end of easily avoidable truck accidents in Arizona.

Reckless Trucking Company Practices

Truck drivers have strict limits on trucking hours placed on them by federal law, mandating frequent breaks, minimum hours of consecutive sleep, and overall driving-hour limitations on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis. However, trucking companies understand that the more hours their truckers drive, the more deliveries they can fulfill, faster, resulting in more profit. This has the added benefit of maximizing the workload of each individual trucker, cutting down on overall employment and training costs. As such, it’s extremely common for illicit companies to encourage or demand that their drivers work overtime, squeezing in more hours with the promise of better compensation for oftentimes severely underpaid truckers.

Similarly, truck companies often adopt “customer first” policies, prioritizing on-time deliveries to all clients over all else. On paper, this sounds nice, but in practice, this tends to involve overbearing pressure from companies, demanding that truckers never allow delays to find their way into their schedule, even if they have to speed to fulfill the delivery. Truck drivers speed frequently enough that at least 10% of all large truck accidents are caused due to drivers feeling pressured by dispatchers and carriers, reflecting serious issues with the trucking industry’s priorities and practices at large.

As though these issues weren’t enough, trucking companies often cut corners on inspections and maintenance, especially if truckers are leasing their own trucks or using personal vehicles to work. If the company doesn’t have to worry about maintaining the vehicle themselves, it’s not uncommon for them to ask their drivers to skip or gloss over mandatory safety inspections, resulting in even more time saved, yet a much higher likelihood of mechanical failures.

Proving Fault in Arizona Truck Accidents

Truckers often have little choice but to give in to their company’s demands, out of fear of pay and hour cuts or outright termination. However, while this undoubtedly reflects significant fault on the company’s behalf, this doesn’t excuse the trucker’s negligent decisions, meaning that your accident is likely to involve shared liability between both parties. The intricacies of comparative fault can become extremely complex, so it’s always a good idea to seek help from an Arizona truck accident attorney with specialized experience.

Since trucking company pressure often involves words left unsaid and implicit conversations or practices, it can be difficult to prove that a workplace environment had a clear hand in a trucker’s decisions, and by extension, your accident. ELG has the legal know-how to navigate these investigations and build a strong case, so call us today at (623) 877-3600 to schedule a free consultation with a local lawyer who cares. We can help you at every step in the process, securing you extensive compensation for your injuries while freeing up your time to focus on rest and recovery.