The Impact of Weather Conditions on the Trucking Industry

Key Takeaways:

• Severe weather increases trucking risks, causing delays, crashes, and higher costs.
• Many trucking companies prioritize profits over safety during dangerous conditions.
• Rain, fog, ice, wind, and extreme heat can reduce visibility and vehicle control.
• Pressure to meet deadlines often leads to speeding and driver fatigue.
• Truck drivers and companies can be held liable for weather-related accidents.
• The Callahan Law Firm helps victims seek compensation after truck crashes in bad weather.

The impact of weather on truck drivers and the trucking industry as a whole ranges from disrupting delivery schedules and increasing operational costs to putting truckers and other motorists at risk of catastrophic injuries in crashes.

When dangerous weather conditions occur, trucking companies and truck drivers often must choose between reducing profits and promoting safe practices that reduce the risk of harm. They too frequently choose profits over people.

If you sustained injuries in a weather-related trucking accident in Houston or elsewhere in Texas, contact The Callahan Law Firm for a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable and experienced personal injury attorneys.

Call us now at (713) 589-7767 or complete our contact form.We will explain the connection between adverse weather and trucking accidents, and how you can hold truck drivers and trucking companies liable for your injuries. Our office is conveniently located at 440 Louisiana St #2050, Houston, TX. Yes! Your personal injury consultation is free.

Common Weather Hazards for Truck Drivers

Due to the state’s size and location, Texas truck drivers can experience a wide variety of hazardous weather conditions.

Some of the most common types of severe weather conditions for truck drivers to deal with on Texas roads include:

• Heavy rain that reduces visibility, makes road surfaces slippery, and causes flash flooding in and around Houston
• Dense fog that obscures vehicles, traffic signs, and roadway hazards
• High winds that can cause trucks to tip over, injuring the driver and other nearby motorists
• Ice storms that cause slick conditions, leading to jackknife accidents and other collisions
• Hurricanes on the Gulf Coast that combine the poor visibility of rain with the vehicle instability of high winds
• Soaring temperatures across the state that can cause tire blowouts and other mechanical failures due to extreme heat

How Weather Affects Truck Driver Safety

Adverse weather conditions can be treacherous for truck drivers and other motorists alike for several key reasons.

The first is reduced visibility, which increases the chances of an accident occurring simply because drivers cannot see what is ahead of them or around them. When visibility is poor, truck drivers may not realize that traffic ahead has slowed or stopped, which can lead to catastrophic rear-end pile-up accidents.

Second, trucks may require longer stopping distances in adverse weather conditions. Due to their weight, commercial trucks already need more distance to come to a complete stop than passenger vehicles. However, when the roads are wet or icy, this distance increases further, leading to more accidents. Slick roads can also cause trucks to lose traction in turns.

And third, trucks may roll over due to various weather-related hazards, including slippery roads and high winds. Rollovers are particularly dangerous because large trucks can crush smaller vehicles nearby. Even if it does not tip over, a large truck could swerve into another lane in high winds, leading to a sideswipe collision.

Extreme Weather Events and Supply Chain Disruptions

While truck drivers often continue operating in relatively minor adverse weather, extreme weather events can force truckers to pull over and ride out the worst of it. Some examples of extreme weather events include hurricanes, tornadoes, fog, flooding, severe thunderstorms, winter storms, and thick smoke from wildfires.

When truck drivers must pull over to wait out a storm or other extreme weather event, it causes delivery delays and logistical issues. That, in turn, causes further supply chain disruption and can compound into serious issues across entire industries.

Weather-Related Delivery Delays and Pressure to Make Up Lost Time

When severe weather events impact trucking schedules by putting truck drivers behind schedule, some trucking companies seek to make up lost time by encouraging drivers to speed or drive for longer than the hours of service rules (HOS) allow.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding is one of the leading causes of fatal accidents, killing 11,775 individuals in a single recent year. When trucking companies encourage their drivers to speed to make up for the time lost due to weather, they put everyone on the road in danger.

Driving longer hours is also dangerous because it leads to driver fatigue, which NHTSA lists as one of the five key risky driving behaviors that lead to collisions. In fact, fatigued driving is so dangerous for truck drivers that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has regulations outlining the maximum amount of time truckers can be on duty in given periods.

When trucking companies pressure their drivers to speed or drive beyond their legally allowable time limits to make up for weather-related delays, it endangers not only the driver’s safety but also the safety of everyone else.

Legal Implications of Weather-Related Truck Accidents

When poor weather contributes to a truck accident, the truck driver’s or trucking company’s insurance providers will attempt to blame the weather.

However, dealing with bad weather is the truck driver’s responsibility. Truck drivers must adjust their driving when encountering adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain or fog, and if the conditions are too extreme, they must pull over and wait it out.

Additionally, trucking companies that encourage their drivers to break the law by speeding or driving longer than they are supposed to may open themselves up to additional liability.

To build a strong case, our truck crash lawyers will work to gather critical evidence of the truck driver’s and trucking company’s actions, including driver log books and hours of service records, truck black box data recordings, and internal trucking company communications, as well as eyewitness statements and accident reconstruction data.

Get Help from Our Experienced Texas Truck Accident Attorneys Now

For over 30 years, The Callahan Law Firm has focused on representing individuals and families in Texas personal injury claims. Our firm is client-focused, compassionate, and committed to making the process less stressful for you and your family.

We also purposely limit the number of cases we take to truly focus on each and devote the time, attention, and resources necessary to develop the case and pursue maximum compensation. Our goal is to level the playing field and give you a fighting chance against the insurance company and corporate bullies that threaten your rights when weather-related truck crashes occur.

Our Houston truck accident attorneys work to prepare cases as if they will go to trial, and we have earned a reputation for our success in the courtroom. That is in part because of our experience and qualifications. Attorney Michael S. Callahan is board-certified in personal injury trial law, while partner Casey M. Brown’s defense law background provides an insider’s perspective on the tactics that insurance companies use in serious injury claims.

Contact our attorneys today or call us now at (713) 589-7767 to get started with a free consultation about your weather-related truck accident case. We are available to talk in person, over the phone, or through text, email, or video chat any time.