New regulation might add more trucks to roads in Eagle Ford Shale area

Texas truck accident injury attorneys on the interplay of economics, regulations, and resident needs

Residents of the counties in the economically booming Eagle Ford Shale region have become concerned about the traffic hazards, safety issues, and rising number of truck-related accidents in their area. For the most part, it seems that locals try not to complain and look on the bright side of the economic equation rather than dwelling on its downsides.

But the problem of deteriorating roads and an alarming increase in the numbers of fatal truck-related accidents have caught the attention of government officials. A new federal safety rule takes effect next year that will limit the number of hours that truck drivers can legally drive. Our Texas truck accident injury attorneys point out that the new rule reduces flexibility regarding weekly hours drive times and requires more consistent rest periods.

The American Trucking Association (ATA) maintains, as expected, that the new rule won’t really add to safety. The ATA says that while truck drivers will have to drive fewer hours and get more rest breaks, industries will have to add more trucks and more drivers to the roads to make up for the shortfall in individual drivers’ drive times. On already crowded roads, where truckers already face pressure to shorten delivery times, this could increase risks of a deadly truck-related crash.

The ATA states that industries have already faced a shortage of truck drivers for the past decade. The organization says that nationwide, there’s currently a shortage of between 20,000 and 30,000 truck drivers. And that number is only expected to increase when the new federal safety rule goes into effect and industries must make up the shortfall in additional trucks and drivers.

Truck driving is actually a tough and stressful job. It requires long periods of time away from home and family, and all the stresses of driving present a daylong occupational hazard. And yearly turnover in the job can be between 70% and 90%. As the economy recovers, some truck drivers have been turning to construction jobs instead in order to stay closer to home.

The Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas companies have been using higher than average starting salaries for truck drivers to lure them to the region. A truck driver with a Class A commercial drivers license could start at $50,000 to $70,000 per year. Compare this to the $36,000 to $50,000 starting salary for local and regional distribution and delivery jobs and one can see why more truck drivers are flocking to the eagle Ford Shale development.

Our Texas truck accident injury attorneys predict that the Texas counties affected by the Eagle Ford Shale activity will see an increase in numbers of trucks, new truck drivers, and truck-related accidents once the federal regulation restricting drive times takes effect next year. We strongly support the new federal safety rule, yet local residents could feel the devastating effects in terms of traffic accidents and fatalities even more strongly than in recent years.

Learn what you can do to preserve your rights and win financial recovery after a devastating truck-related accident has injured you or your family. Download our Texas truck accident injury attorneys’ free book explaining the steps to take after a truck crash injury from our web page. The book is free to our readers and could help you cope successfully with the worst effects of a traumatic truck wreck.