You might think police or firefighter would be the most dangerous job among US workers. But it actually was truck driver.
With 745 on the job deaths in 2015, truck drivers had the highest percentage of on the job deaths in the US, according to statistics released this month by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While the number of truck drivers who were killed on the job in 2015 was actually down from the 761 truck driver fatalities the year before, it still accounted for the largest percentage of the 4,836 work-related deaths that occurred in the US that year, according to the BLS report.
More Miles, More Accidents
Part of the increase in truck driver deaths could be because operators are putting in more time behind the wheel. According to the US Department of Transportation, the total number of vehicle miles traveled rose from 3 trillion in November 20111 to 3.2 trillion in September 2016.
Another factor is the size and weight of the vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that the overall crash rate of large trucks is actually 28 percent lower than that of other vehicles. And between 1980 and 2014, the number of crashes involving big large trucks fell 32 percent.
But it could be because when big rigs do crash, the drivers are more likely to be killed.
Fatal Cost of Efficiency?
Another reason behind the startling statistic could have to do with economics. Gas prices are lower than they have been in recent years, so transporting goods via long-haul trucks — as opposed to rail or air — is a better option for many companies.
From a statistical perspective, more trucks on the roads naturally mean more crashes. And given the fact that trucks still have many blind spots, it’s difficult for operators to be 100 percent sure there isn’t another vehicle in their way when they do things such as change lanes.
Driver fatigue could be another factor. But a federal mandate requiring the use of electronic logs that was implemented in December 2015 could help alleviate long hours behind the wheel.