I’m a truck driver and the biggest issue I see out here is that everyone on the road feels that their time is more valuable than yours. They will do the dumbest things just to save a few seconds on their commute. I see it every day with people in their personal vehicles and commercial trucks as well. No one has patience anymore and will gladly endanger themselves and others for stupid reasons.

As a truck driver this goes out to all citizen drivers. That space between the tractor-trailer is not for you to squeeze in. Its for safe brake distance. You will get crushed,you can and will loose your life. Also,if you are running late speeding and endangering yourself and everyone else on the road is not worth it.

Don't drive commercially. But as a car driver, I always keep a distance from a big rig whenever possible. Both for my safety, and the truck drivers piece of mind. Just be aware if your on the road with large vehicles, they will not be able to stop/go/turn etc. as fast as you.

Jesus Christ, that story about Riley, about "the day the Earth tilted," ripped my heart out. We lost a daughter in an auto accident and I remember the state police car pulling into our driveway and I knew - I KNEW! - that our daughter had died. And, for the most part, so did we.

Former State Trooper. Out of all the fatal, and or serious injury crashes. A very small amount of them were caused by the commercial vehicle. It’s a fact that drivers are more distracted and impaired. Pointing the finger at the trucking industry is unfair, in reality we should look inwards to improving enforcement and education to everyday drivers.

When will Americans learn that corporations and politicians don't care about the people, they care about the money. Greed is a plague in America. TAKE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS!

I’m an instate trucker in Arizona, yes trailers could be configured differently for safety purposes. But the real problem is those pulling trailers or campers that are not subject to D.O.T. regulations and are very inexperienced at pulling heavy loads. I constantly have four wheelers pull out in front of me or pass me on the shoulder or pass me just to slow down in front of me, and of course the distracted driver unbelievably dangerous. Pay attention and always remain focused and utilize anticipation and discernment and keep a safe following distance.

I drove trucks for 6 years and decided to leave the industry. I will never get rid of my cdl but as far as driving trucks is concerned, I am done. Too many dumbasses on the road. From 4 wheelers, to other truckers to DOT to shipper/receivers, disgusting food at these truck stops, constant road construction, weather and most importantly inconsistent pay. Watching documentaries like this solidifies my decision on leaving the industry.

Before getting your drivers license, it should be mandatory to take a class on how to drive around commercial vehicles and the dangers that come with it from being reckless around them. I don’t drive a truck, but I have a huge respect for those guys and girls. They keep America moving and the economy.

'Stay away from the big trucks, son'. My father is a million mile truck driver who worked for the big haulers like CF and Yellow for over 30 years. One of the best pieces of advice he gave me about how to stay safe out on the highway especially on long road trips - where you're in the trucker's world. I do that even in my daily commutes. I stay back from them when following, don't ride along side them any longer than necessary, pass them quickly, give them lots of forward space when merging in front of them and am patient when I'm behind them as they leave from a stop. You should too. Some accidents we have no control over and these mechanical safety devices they're talking about here are a good idea but remember how much control you have to stay safer on the road around trucks. Be aware of them and be very careful around them - stay away from the big trucks.

Excellent presentation. As a retired Sheriff's Deputy & Sergeant of 28+ years I saw a number of traffic deaths resulting from rear crashes into semi trailers & one from a side 'under-ride'. They were all of the most gruesome crashes I have ever witnessed. I was glad to hear of the relatively recent legislation for mandated improved rear trailer collision guards. These are most commonly put to use when motorists are following but not completely aware of a semi-trailer slowdown for any variety of reason, the motorist then slamming into the trailer. I find it interesting that so many enclosed semi trailers have the large panel beneath their trailers for the purposes of controlling air turbulence to increase fuel economy. Seems to me the same structure could accommodate a side guard.

As an Owner Operator for the last 30+ years, I have (on a daily basis) saved car drivers from going under my trailer by watching their actions as the merge onto the highway. Before cell phones it wasn't as bad (food, makeup, cigarettes), but since everyone now has a computer in their hand, the amount of car drivers who are merging distracted is massive.

There are Mandates for so many stupid things in this country but when an actual mandate would make a huge difference, they just can’t manage to do it in Washington

As a dispatcher at a trucking co for almost 10 years now this doc was extremely eye-opening and alarming to me. This is an issue I've never thought twice about up until now. Thank you for bringing attention to this matter. This makes me want to explore the issue further in hopes that I can help insure the safety of my drivers and the public as a whole.

As a diesel mechanic I've been around trucks and trailers all my life. The fact of the matter is people drive too fast they have no fear or consideration of the size and weight of the truck in front or around them and they just don't give a damn. Furthermore when youths died from trucks crashes it's no hidden secret that youth today think they're invisible and it can't happen to them. Don't blame the trucks and the truck drivers for the actions of people in four wheels

Ive been driving trucks for 16+yrs and im telling you this is appalling and sickening. No excuses for this not being taken care of

When ever I come across a semi on the highway, I either stay way, way back and if I anticipate a blind spot coming my way, I either drop back behind the truck or smartly accelerate to get out ahead so the trucker can see me. I treat semi trucks like instant death if I don't give them a wide berth. And yes, truckers' skills on the highway have worsened over the past 45 years.

I love PBS Frontline documentaries

Just had a 22 year old, Evan Dennison, who graduated two months ago, killed after hitting the back of a tractor trailer. Thoughts and prayers for Evan and his family and friends. He was a drum major in the UVA marching band.

Prayers for all the familys that lost someone 🙏🙏🙏

The fact that we get free documentaries from FRONTLINE on UKposts is priceless .... keeping the education and knowledge alive 🙏🙏🙏

Driver training is KEY. I spent 12yrs with a CDL and 6yrs as a Smith System trainer. Spend the extra money to get your kids properly trained (it could save their life). As a pro, I spend as little time next to semis as possible. I either stay back, or RACE past them (the right pedal is your friend if used properly). I see people all the time just lingering next to big trucks. You do that at your own peril 💯

I’ve been driving my truck for 6 months now and in those months, I’ve had countless cars cut infront of me to the point I have to slam on my breaks, even if I give myself more than enough stopping distance. It’s very bad in Atlanta,GA.

26 year truck driver w/the last 8 as a trucking company owner. There's 1 big issue with these and that is they would cause trucks to get caught on railroad tracks and crests of hills at intersections and such. A lot of docks are sloped and you can see where the skirts get damaged where the slope begins and they drag so these would prevent a trailer from getting into those docks. These are a good idea but the issue is how they'll react to any ground that isn't pretty much flat. Many folks don't realize just where trucks actually go and unfortunately it's not flat ground from point A to point B.

I'm a police Officer with 23 years of experience. One of the big problems with the reporting of under or over ride is that many Officers don't list it on the accident report. They would just list it as a side collision or rear collision and not mention the over or under ride.

As a former 48 state truck driver, these side guards would really help. This has always been a problem. In ice and snow conditions cars are more likely to slide under your trailer, or the trailer more likely to slide over cars. Many trucks have wind guards under the trailers to improve mileage and these occupy the same space as the side guards, so we can already show the space is available.

Fascinating. This is why I try to steer clear. Where I live in New Jersey we have highways that tractor trailers are forbidden to use. I actually wasn't aware until this documentary that those barriers are called Jersey barriers and were developed and used here first. We also have double highways, trucking / bussing lanes which cars may ride in and separate lanes for passenger vehicles and jughandles or U-turns for left turns. I recall when I was younger my friend losing her parents when they were stopped at an intersection waiting to make a left hand turn, they had their wheels turned and were hit them from behind sending them into oncoming traffic, where they were overtaken by a truck. They were decapitated.

Thank you for this information. I have made it my mission to check the big trucks here in South Africa. I saw a lot of the trucks with trailers here that have the back and side banners on. Not all of them, and I can see that is a big need. Thank you for your work and this video.

Having your close relative in an accident is the worst feeling ever. Last year my sister was involved in an accident. It was the darkest day of my life

I retired from an airline and recently decided to go back to work driving a truck. There’s absolutely no reason to run this business the way we do. There are companies that are allowed to operate that every single person in the business knows are unsafe. I could literally write a book and I’ve been driving for less than a year.

When on the freeways, avoid trucks as much as possible and keep a safe distance (much more than most of you do right now) between you and those around you, especially those in front of you. And if at all possible, avoid the freeways because that is where the trucks are. As an example, going from Dallas to El Paso, instead of driving on I-20 westbound, drive US 180; it is only slower by about 30 minutes (the route is actually a bit shorter than the freeway) but it is much more relaxing, having few if any big trucks on it and as an added bonus, there is more to see along the way.

I love that almost every rear related accident involving cars, resulted from inattentive drivers, following too closely, and failure to anticipate changes in traffic flow, all of these are on the drivers approaching the truck not the truck itself. If i have my hazards lights on and I'm slowing down rapidly I've done all I can to inform the personal vehicles behind me of sudden hazardous change, if they fail to observe that, I cannot be held liable for what happens afterward.

All the guards in the world won’t stop drivers from running into or under trucks. I spent over twenty years on the road driving 18 wheelers , is never ceases to amaze me how little respect people give to a machine that is big enough and heavy enough to crush you and your car like a bug on your windshield. As a former truck driver anytime I’m on the road I stay as fare away from trucks as I can, and I never get in their blind spots. If you can look at the drivers mirror and see him , he can see you . If you can’t see him you are in danger.

I remember a documentary on this exact issue 35 years ago. Back then it was associated with an effort to require underride guard on the back of all trailers.

This is insane , I got my heavy truck license in 1986 in UK and under run bars were mandatory in UK and Europe from long BEFORE I got my license

I am a truck driver & I always see accidents bt all the time is the 4 wheelers cutting us off & braking checking us, trying to pass us on the side when the lane is ending, we leave space in front for a reason, where at 80,000 lbs we won’t stop as a normal car

I'm European truck driver with 17 years experience behind the steering wheel. I think that trailers should be much better secured against such accidents. I was involved myself in a accident just like that. A car driven by a 19 years old drunk driver with 3 more passengers crashed in to the end of the trailer of my truck. The car was not behind me traveling in my direction. It came laterally. The direction of movement of the car was perpendicular to mine. The car crashed in and entered absolutely all right between the last axle and the safety iron bumper of the trailer. Because of that the driver and the front passenger were beheaded. Both passengers seating at the back seats survived. This happened 5 years ago and I still have nightmares because of the accident.

If the cost is the biggest issue, the insurance industry should have required the underride protection because they ultimately foot the bill.

I’m a seasoned semi truck driver. I believe that a side guard and possibly an alert system should be installed on the trailers. I’ve see a lot of under-ride accidents. The trucks have blind side monitors but it only picks up a vehicle beside the cab, not the trailer area. A mirror is only so good especially on what we call the blind side. The trailers are weight restricted, adding more safety devices adds weight, meaning less cargo to be carried in the trailer. And trust me they want to maximize how much they can fit in the trailer. I believe they are so hesitant due to not only the new safety devices cost, but also the weight added that can possibly take away from their bottom line.

U know as a truck driver i cant beleave how many cars a day pass me like standing still even in speed zones at 65 moh or higher it blows my mind

This was very eye opening. I had honestly never thought about these kind of crashes

I always knew our trailers had underride risks but it really hit me when I went to Europe a few years ago. NONE of their trailers have any sort of gaps that could fit a car and the guards are very robust. That's how it should be here.

Dashcams are truckers best friends.

Every time you hear someone declined to comment in this documentary, just assume the absolute worst and you will generally be more correct than not.

My mother was involved in a accident with a tri axle dump truck. She lost her life. One never knows. Great presentation. Thank you P.B.S.

I'm a trucker who has been pulling stepdecks and flabeds. I had a light accident in Indianapolis in winter when a car slid and hit my side boxers on my speddeck. Nothing happened besides some scratches. Had my trailer been a dryvan, a different story it would have been

As a CDL holder, a former truck owner operator, a machinist mate on a U.S. Ballistic Missile submarine and a retired funeral director/embalmer my heart breaks for the families that have lost anyone under these circumstances, this is preventable. I am certain that anyone driving commercially would be in favor of anything that would prevent them from being involved with such an accident. This is one of many issues involving truck transport that needs to be addressed with common sense rule making and the political/monetary concerns should be a non issue. There is no calculus that balances a thousand dollars worth of materials, fabrication and installation with the loss of human life

Very telling documentary. Who's really in control? Seems lobiests are.

Wow, Rileys story is tragic. So sad. I'm a truck driver, well over a hundred thousand miles each year, the vast majority of accidents between trucks and smaller vehicles are caused by the smaller vehicles. The truck accidents get tons of press, because they're big and there's usually fatalities. There are trucks driving too fast as well, there are distracted truckers for sure, but cars are a bigger problem in my opinion. Every day, without fail, I'm cut off by a smaller vehicle, brake checked, I have cars literally pass me on the shoulder at freeway speeds to gain a second. I've had road rage incidents happen in front of me, and they don't pay attention to me at all. People pass me then immediately pull back in front of my truck, people coming onto freeways have no idea how to merge. They're driving too fast, they are driving distracted, they are on phones or watching movies on their laptops, they cut off everybody, then typically they're gone, after they've caused traffic behind them to slow or stop. Everybody is in a hurry to gain 5 minutes. Fixing trailers needs to happen immediately, but put some blame, and responsibility, and more enforcement, on the smaller vehicles!

Thanks for this video I’m a truck driver very informative God bless

As a truck driver 15 minutes in, I'm getting strong Gell-Mann Amnesia effect vibes from this, as well as picking up a subtle "truck drivers are dangerous" subtext. For example, in the example the lawyer used to explain under-run crashes, why was the trucker the one who "ran a stop sign"? The years of computer-vision assisted video recordings have indicated that truckers are far more likely to obey a traffic control device than the motoring public. This could have been framed as a tragic accident, where the truck was already in the intersection as a police car comes around a blind curve. Heck, it could be a collision with a parked and unhooked trailer with no truck involved. Any of those things could paint the picture "trailers need better safety features" without painting the driver as some bloodthirsty maniac...

I will forever be indebted to you you've changed my whole life continue to preach about your name for the world to hear you've saved me from a huge financial debt with just little investment, thanks so much Annmarie Surber

My Grandfather who survived the brutal fighting in the South Pacific against Japan in World War II 1942-1945, was killed on his motorcycle in 1985 when the Semi Truck driver suddenly changed lanes, over an overpass to get on I-64. The Truck was in the right lane, my grandfather was in the left, he had no where to go, he tried to lay the bike down, and the under ride side crash happened when the Motorcycle rolled under the semi truck…. It ran over him crushing him and the motorcycle, rolling over him breaking every bone in his body.

The other problem with side guards is that some customers have different incline levels and the side guards would not let them back up to certain docks. Also tandem axles have to move forward or backwards depending on the load to get the weight right for DOT. As you can see it’s not as simple as putting sidegaurds up on trailers. Some customers would have to rebuild docks all over the US.

I was debating with myself on commenting about this subject. I am a recently retired truck driver of over 25 years, in that 25+ years I was involved in an underride collision. Unfortunately the individual of the vehicle operating the other vehicle lost their life when their vehicle collided with the side of my trailer and ultimately went under my trailer. In my situation do I personally believe side guard would have saved their life, no I do not. The biggest issue I see with this whole issue regarding incidents like this is basically we as a society have failed ourselves. There is a lot of instances that lack of education has played a huge part in this. I am part of a generation that we went through a required course in high school called driver's education which was a one time a required course in public high school before a teenager could receive a drivers' license. Now it is completely taken out of all schools and is now in the private sector, private "paid" sector. Now I don't see any issue with this other than what about the families that can't afford the fee for this type of service? We as a society have become consumed by obtaining more money by any means necessary and in turn have allowed lack of education not for just young people starting to learn how to drive but also some older individuals not being properly trained and educated in the dangers of the roadways. One last final though, all of us could consider becoming less distracted while driving and actually pay attention to safely operating all of our vehicles on the road.

A fully loaded tractor trailer is 40 tons. Big wheels and big breaks doesn’t mean it stops on a dime. Physics people. Leave them space!

I have been driving a truck since 1995 after i left the Army. While all of this is good, it may or may not solve the issue. Andy Young could also stand in front of pictures and say; "speeding, texting, putting on make-up, not paying attention, driving impaired/intoxicated, veered from their lane, brake checked truck, cut-off truck to exit, ran red light, ran stop sign, suspended license, no license." The number of reasons are counless. People don't walk up to a pit-bull and punch it in the mouth, but they will act like their s**t doesn't stink around a semi truck, and that is a far bigger problem. Society has a problem with entitlement, and it shows on the road. I experience it maybe 100 times a day. Everybody has the opinion that they are a "good person" until they get behind the wheel. They then proceed to act like an absolute meat-popcicle with disregard for speed-limits, traffic laws, or common courtesy. Police do not inforce much of anything anymore, because they don't want to lose their job over some Karen turning a violation into a world-wide UKposts sensation. People; activists, lawyers, and politicians, always come up with some idea that "only costs $$$ per commercial vehicle" and do not realize the compounding cost of these measures. I am not saying safety is not important. I am saying you could make a truck as safe as a cotton ball, and people will still find a way to kill themselves around it. As for the quality of the driver behind the wheel of the semi, that's a sad story itself. Rules and regulations, plus the astronomical cost of operating a truck has run off 80% of the good ones. Think i am exaggerating? Go and try to buy a new truck and trailer. Permit it; insure it, license it, fuel it, maintain it, pay every tax and toll fee known to man on it. Plus, all of the hidden gems that suck profit and see if trucking is something you would like to stick with. All of the same costs are applicable to trucking companies as well, so they hire anyone they can get their hands on to fill a seat and stay in business. Therefore, you have so many "drivers" that have no business being behind the wheel of a semi. They aren't good drivers and never will be. People claim this is an easy job and that anyone can do it with training. That's total bull****. You have to be scientifically minded and an excellent planner. You need knowledge of angles/geometry; inertia, friction, traction, weight distribution, etc. Plus, and most importantly, you need self-control. I have said a lot here. People may or may not agree with everything. The essence of what i am trying to convey is that we can continue to place all of the blame and onus on the truck because of its size. But until the rest of society grows up and acts with some fraction of integrity and professionalism they expect from the truck driver, the problem will only get worse.

Outstanding reporting!

Look at how many ppl on the roads today don't respect the life of the truck driver. The truck has to make wide turns because the trailer does not make the same turn. You can't cut trucks off because you can spend 2 seconds just to freak wait.

As a truck driver, I want our trucks and trailers to be as safe as possible, for everyone out there on the roads!! Justifying that this is too expensive, disappears when your child or family member dies from one of these crashes

This was always one of my biggest worries as a truck driver. Even with all of the mirrors and sensors new trucks have on them, there are still many blind spots and with the aggressiveness of some drivers out there, i was always worried about someone getting caught under my trailer. Some other BIG issues today is people (both truckers and cars) is impatience and most of all CELL PHONES. While OTR i would always see probably 9 out of 10 people driving with a phone in their hands. Glad i left the industry. Too stressful nowadays.

The biggest hazard is cell phones. I’ve been a trucker for 8years now.

I've always been mindful of large trucks, especially the ones that look older. I usurally pass them fast or let them go and try never to drive next to one. I'm super scared of platform tow trucks because when you are behind of of them at a light, you can see that if you crashed into the rear of one of those, it will hit you right in the midle of the winshield.

a big issue that NOBODY talks about is the lack of rest areas / overnight parking for trucks. Especially around the big cities where most deliveries are, if you stop after sunset, there is no parking left for big trucks while the parking area for regular cars is almost empty. it feels like a big middle finger given to truckers. it dosen't even have to be pawed, a dirt lot will do. But while there is money for intricate and spacious parks that nobody uses, there is none for dirt lots so truckers can rest, which IS a safety issue

As a 34 year OTR driver (retired) I can personally mention that the industry has gone downhill at a record pace. Glad I’m out of it!

I'm retired from driving just over 20 years, A Truck Driver is guiding the truck down the road, a truck can not really turn well. It can't speed up, and it can't stop quickly. And reaction time from a great number of over worked drivers. I was so happy when I only worked 12 hours.............................All be safe Mark

I’d like to see a piece from frontline on how passenger vehicles drive erotic and dangerous around big trucks Id like to see more training and how to safely driver around trucks hence driving in the trucks blind spots there is always money hungry lawers going after the trucks Even if that passenger car was at fault

This is an interesting documentary. My dad was a Nevada Highway Patrolman from the 1980s to the early 00's. I remember him being almost ecstatic that trucking regulations were strengthened in 1998. In 2005 he told me that if he had an accident involving a semi, it was almost ALWAYS fatal... for the other driver.

When I'm driving I stay far away from semi trucks. They can't see you. They're working hard to deliver cargo. The laws of physics will crush you in your dinky puny car if you're too close. So stay away. Like I do.

I’m a truck driver. Keep your distance don’t drive next to 18 wheelers

Any trailer manufacturer has a golden opportunity to just put the sideguards on for PR without being forced to do so. Let us not forget, however, that the 16 year old at the start of this video was forced into the situation by a truck coming out of his/her lane. Class A myself since 1996 and nobody seems to know how to stay in their own lane nowadays just saying.

My cousin's 2 children were killed in 1994 and I believe it was an underride crash. My heart still breaks.

I remember Jayne Mansfield's death, everyone was horrified at what happened. I'd thought the rear bars that were later put on trucks, would prevent similar. Rather shocked to be seeing this report in 2023 - 56 freaking years later!!!!

Frontline makes the best documentary reports. I come from a family of long haul truckers, aunts and uncles. Another dangerous practice Frontline should look into is companies pushing their drivers & dispatchers running their drivers into exhaustion which is dangerous and causes fatal crashes too. Drivers are always under pressure to get their loads to their destination on time no matter at what costs. A lot of carriers switched to electric log books, but the drivers who still use handwritten log books they cheat and doctor their log so it appears they don't go over their 10 hour driving window which is federal law. 10 hours on after being 11 hours off with a break in between. 10 hours also counts even if you get delayed at a shipper. That puts you under even more pressure to get to your destination within that 10 hour window. You'll be amazed at how many drivers fall asleep behind the wheel or fatigue causes accidents.

Trailer/Truck companies should just do it. It would show that they care about the safety of others.

I have extreme respect for semis, mostly because I value my life so much. Always let them in, give them space, do the light thing when they pass you; brights then back to regular so they know they can pull back into your lane. Always be very aware when they are close to you on the road and basically keep distance from them. I have been reading and hearing that trucks are causing more and more accidents and fatalities due to incompetent, inattentive, drugged or drunk drivers. Or texting drivers. It's getting worse. Please be careful on the roads everybody. Try to stay away from trucks, especially if they seem to be moving erratically.

Investigative journalists are heroes.

I was a trucker. The problem with the side guards is weight. It adds a lot and the consumer would end up paying more for every thing they purchase and it intern would be a domino affect to our world economy. It is sad people die from this. But there are reputations on the amount of the truck and trailer weighs with cargo. You won’t be happy with the extra cost. It would in the long run not work for the global market. Your unfortunately seeing and hearing one piece of a ginormous puzzle in the scheme of things. Good luck and God Bless

Heart breaking

Lesson... Dont cut off and brake check semi trucks and dont camp out beside a semi truck 🤷

Fellow Frontline stans, might I recommend an episode of “The Gray Area” Vox’s Marin Cogan talks with author and journalist Jessie Singer, whose book There Are No Accidents asks us to completely rethink our understanding of accidents as seemingly random, blameless, harm-inducing events. It will haunt you and think rear guards are only the beginning. I also remember reading another haunting article in a readers digest on how many children automatic backup cameras would save, but you know apparently you can put a price on the life of your children

Well Mr. News Reporter, why don't you work with Congress to get rid of those evil, dangerous trucks?

I'm a "career coach" aka a trainer for a large US carrier. And I've failed the last 4 students I've had on my truck for unsafe driving. I'm 28 years old and the students getting on my truck are 21-25 years old and ADDICTED to their cell phones. I've taken videos of them using their phones while driving and have faced immense pressure from my company to look the other way and ignore the dangerous behavior. I have refused and I'm afraid I'm about to be fired for not "playing ball" I was just bribed with a $2,000 bonus on my last paycheck as a "performance bonus" but told by my supervisor to please help the company out and "get these new drivers into there own truck" I'm done with this profession and sickened with the lack of regulation on a federal level. It's abhorrent and gross how easiky the politicians and corporations are willing to gamble with innocent life for profit. I am left feeling disallusioned and ashamed.

The number one problem is that at the end of the day, there is a CEO who wants all the money possible, regardless of the loss of lives; only if their friends/family and/or loved ones are killed in similar circumstances will they change their perspectives.

Trucking industry would much rather spend money on lawyers than a safer trailer design 🤷🏻‍♂️ Wtf is wrong with them?

Listen, my husband has been a truck driver for over 30 yrs. Some of the stuff he has witnessed is horrible. People don’t remember they need space to stop with trailers. A truck is t like a car. He has driven with 1 accident yrs ago and it was a driver who fell asleep. That driver ran into the back of his trailer. Thankfully he was ok. I have been on the truck with him and have seen some horrible drivers. We have watched trucks fall off bridges, embankments etc. They changed the hours a driver can drive now. They can drive 10 hrs and have to take 12 hrs off. Trucks now come with such technology that some will shut down at ten hours. It’s horrible out there.

My instructor told me about underides. But not much about the true danger of them. I was told to just watch the distance between the end of my trailer and the cars behind me.

As a paramedic for over 20 years and now a “dangerous truck driver” I hate that any accident happens but there are way more pressing things that need to be regulated and enforced over this. I wish the public could see the number of people the pass me everyday texting or watching something on their phone while driving over the speed limit. We are already regulated to the point that it’s hard to keep up. Why not require over bumpers for every car? Why not regulate every drivers hours of driving and work day. Make everybody pull over and take a mandatory 10 hr break and get a physical every two years to determine if they are safe to drive. Let’s make it equal. My heart goes out to anyone that has lost a loved one to soon, and also to the first responders that have to deal with the tragedies.

When a company refuses to talk with a news reporter about a topic and refuses it means the company is guilty and is hiding the truth.

It isn't just commercial vehicles that cause underrun/overrun crashes. The number of lifted pickups-- especially 3/4 and 1 ton -- that are on the roads is increasing. The mismatch between their bumpers and the average passenger car is incredibly dangerous.

When I was in high school there was a road I drove on occasion. One day towards the end of the school year, I was driving with some friends and immediately I noticed all the gorgeous 150 year old oaks that lined the road on both sides had been cut down. Even as a 17 year old kid, I felt bad about that. Later that year I learned a daughter of a county police chief had failed to negotiate a curve and all the “dangerous” trees needed to be removed to keep people safe. Sad how society has to pay for the ignorance of a few. Very few children that started driving after 1980 are taught how to drive like they’re lives depend on their actions.

As a truck driver I can say that mostly all non truck drivers are sooooo uneducated on truck safety, the most important not knowing we CANNOT stop like a car if you cut off a truck and hit the brakes that truck will most likely kill you... it takes a whole football field for a truck to come to a full stop going at 65 mph... this among many other things people should be aware of... we just want to work and get your goods to your local markets, be mindful of us we work 11 hours a day, most of us don't get to eat well or shower or go home every night, I love my job and I do my best to keep everyone on the road safe but it's an every day struggle to deal with road ragers and ignorant people on a daily basis

I've been behind the wheel for over 30 years and I'm appalled at how reckless people drive today. Other than some kind of mechanical malfunction EVERY crash is avoidable. We think backwards in this country. Instead of changing bad behaviors we want to fix it so our stupidity won't kill us as much. I guess we'll never learn.

I drive trucks with heavy loads so im slow on the road and everyone around me do the dumbest stuff trying to get around me both cars and trucks... if the speed limit is 70 do 70 not 90 trucks stay in the granny lane until there is no vehicles in the left then pass. I salute the people who stay behind me while im climbing a hill at 30 mph instead of shooting around and cutting me off. Saw plenty on the road and not all trucks are dangerous some 4 wheelers have some blame as well

I believe a good thing to look at in this situation would be how many of these fatal crashes are caused by the truck and how many of these fatal crashes are caused by the car. For some reason you never hear this. As a truck driver I believe that if cars were more respectful of these large trucks that there would not be any need for side guards.

America's Dangerous Trucks ? they should have named it america's dangerous car driving public.

Welcome to the USA! The richest country in the world with the wealthiest companies cannot shell out a fraction of their revenue to save lives. Incredible.

Quit tailgating

In 2004 a research project showed clear evidence that cable guards for traffic safety was the clear winner in guardrail safety. Again in 2014. IT is 2023 and we are just now seeing the first cable systems being installed in WV. Bureaucracy specifically dealing with manufacturers and industry is a nightmare and is in need of dire restructuring and regulations. JUST like with the issues with trucks. Not that expensive to protect from all sides...compared to the lives lost every year. Not that expensive then or now...and the only reason is because regulators get stopped by the same lobbying special interest, anti-regulation tactics that we see with any and every industry. It is a shame.

In my Philly we just had the collapse of a bridge due to a tanker truck overturned underneath and caught on fire.... I95 closed for months