Federal data shows that trucking is one of the deadliest jobs in Illinois and across the nation. In fact, one in every seven on-the-job deaths occurs for trucking workers.
What do the statistics show in regard to truck driving?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, truck driving was responsible for the death of 843 truckers in 2019. This showed a 1.4% increase in deaths from the year prior. With the inclusion of light-duty trucks, the trucking industry claimed the lives of 1,005 individuals last year. However, trucking is not the deadliest of all occupations. That title goes to those who work in the fishing or hunting industries. Close seconds include manual occupations such as roofing, logging and other construction jobs.
Why does truck driving cause so many deaths?
While there are many factors that ultimately contribute to truck drivers dying, some of the reasons for this high death rate are poor road infrastructure and poor technology. A simple way to reduce truck driving deaths would be if more funding went into creating better road infrastructure and if more trucks had advanced driver assistance technology. Together, these two solutions might result in fewer truck driving deaths. This, in turn, would lower the amount of workers’ comp cases as well.
Truck driving is often seen as the backbone of the economy because most goods sold in the country must be transported on a commercial truck. As such, there need to be systems in place to keep truck drivers and other drivers on the road safe. If you have been injured on the job in your truck driving career, you may be eligible to file a workers’ comp claim.