Especially in the greater Chicago metro area, truckers without sufficient training pose a great danger of a fatal semi-truck crash.
Last week, the White House announced the signing of an Executive Order (EO) where enforcement would begin again of a federal law requiring drivers of commercial vehicles to have “proficiency in English.” Read the announcement here. For safety organizations and advocates of accident victims and their loved ones, it is a good idea. For instance, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance quickly approved the return to enforcement. Read, “CVSA backs Trump’s move to require drivers speak English,” written by Alex Locke and published by Overdrive on May 1, 2025.
However, the reality is that the driver safety issue is more complex. Consider the position of the Truck Safety Coalition, a partnership between Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT). In their announcement and analysis of the EO, the Truck Safety Coalition pointed out not only that:
(1) “[t]he longstanding federal statute requiring this of all truck drivers, 49 CFR §391.11(b)2), unequivocally supports highway safety…,” but
(2) “… in the opinion of the TSC, it is the quality of training, experience of the driver operating Behind The Wheel (BTW) of a large truck, and knowledge of and adherence to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), such as Hours of Service and Vehicle Maintenance, that are far more reliable and predictive indicators of a truck driver’s likelihood to drive safely.”
Need For Adequate Training of Truck Drivers
Trucking companies hire truck drivers to operate all sorts of huge and heavy commercial trucks, where rigs weighing as much as 80,000 tons rumble at high speeds along our streets, highways, and interstates. These companies have a legal duty to make sure that trucker is properly trained.
Any truck driver BTW without sufficient knowledge of its operations is a hazard not only to the trucker, rig occupants, and the truck itself, but to all those sharing the roads with that semi.
Risks of catastrophic or fatal truck crashes caused by negligent training of the truck driver include trucker failures in:
- understanding how the size and weight of their rig impacts things like ability to come to a stop
- knowing the details of their rig and signs of part failure or issues (for instance, a failing tire; clicking noise from U-joint failure; leaking brake fluid)
- having an awareness of the particular hazards of their route (like curves, inclines, heavy traffic)
- understanding the Hours of Service (HOS) regulations
- being taught the importance of following HOS Rules
- knowing when fatigue is impacting the driver
- understanding traffic laws along the route (municipal, state, federal)
- being taught the importance of following all traffic laws (for instance, speeding is dangerous)
- understanding the importance of monitoring weather conditions
- knowing how weather impacts road surfaces and visibility
- knowing how weather impacts the vehicle and the load
- knowing when the driver needs to stop and wait out bad weather conditions
- understanding how weight of cargo impacts driving
- knowing how different loads need to be placed in the tractor-trailer
- knowing how different types of cargo need to be secured in the rig
- understanding how to know if cargo has shifted, or is shifting, en route
- understanding how to secure shifted cargo to avoid dangers like rollovers or loss of control.
For more, read Hours of Service Regulations: How Many Hours Will Truck Drivers Be Allowed to Drive Without a Break on U.S. Roads? HOS Safety vs. Profits Fight in D.C.; Truck Driver Fatigue: Battle Continues Over Tracking Truckers with Electronic Log Devices (ELDs); Winter Weather Long Haul Trucking: Deadly Crash Dangers in Illinois and Indiana; Shifting Loads and Unstable Cargo: Dangerous Causes for Semi-Truck Crashes; and Speeding and Serious or Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes in Illinois or Indiana.
Liability for Truck Driver Errors Due to Improper or Insufficient Training
Trucking companies have a duty to ensure their commercial vehicles are driven by those with proper licensure and proper training on that rig. If a trucker is involved in a serious truck accident in Chicago, Illinois, or Indiana, that trucking company may have legal liability to everyone suffering bodily harm in the crash because of inadequate training of the truck driver.
The truck crash victim and their loved ones have a legal right to investigate the accident independently of any insurance adjusters, employers, or regulatory investigators. Their advocates, with their accident reconstruction experts, may find that civil personal injury claims exist based upon lack of training.
The key here will be things like review of the black box data in all vehicles involved in the crash; driver qualification records; driver training records; Hour of Service logs; truck maintenance logs; dashcam footage; and witness statements. See, Black Box Data in Semi-Truck Crashes: The Importance of EDR Evidence; Black Box Data in Serious or Deadly Semi-Truck Crashes; and Accident Reconstruction Experts and Injury Claims.
Under the law, a trucker’s employer may be responsible for a crash caused by its trucker who was poorly trained on the specific rig entrusted to him. Poor training increases the likelihood of a serious or deadly accident in so many ways, from speeding to fatigue to mistakes in dealing with rig issues or heavy traffic or bad weather.
That driver may be found negligent, but the company cannot point the finger solely at the inadequately trained trucker and avoid culpability for what has happened.
Think about how challenging it is to drive through Chicagoland for the most experienced trucker, and how dangerous this is for everyone on our roads if a truck driver has not had proper training. Companies that decide to allow inadequately trained drivers behind the wheel of their commercial vehicles are cavalierly endangering their employees and everyone sharing the lanes with them.
For more on Chicagoland semi-truck accidents, read:
- Chicago Truck Accidents: Liability after Serious Chicagoland Semi-Truck Crash
- Chicago Road Construction Work Zones: Unique Danger of Struck-by And Caught-Between Accidents
- Semi-Truck Crashes in Chicago: Most Dangerous Routes, Riskiest Rigs
- Truck Driver Hurt on the Job: Trucker Injuries in Chicago Semi-Truck Crash
- Big Trucks in Chicago: Dangers of 18-Wheeler Accidents in Chicagoland.
A huge number of heavy semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, big rigs, and 18-wheelers, filled with all kinds of cargo, maneuver through the traffic of Chicago and its surrounding metropolitan area at high speed. It is very dangerous, especially with all the road construction work zones we face with Project Rebuild Illinois. Inadequate training of truckers is a horrible breach of duty for a trucking company. Please be careful out there!
