Safety Resources for Truck Drivers & Employers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a variety of website resources intended to help improve truck driver safety, including:

Fatal Truck Crashes

After dropping to 35-year lows in 2009, the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks or buses has increased steadily – to 5,340 in 2021, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. More than 1,020 vehicle occupants died in crashes in 2021. Often, drivers who died were not wearing a seat belt.

“We know that using a seat belt is the single most effective intervention to prevent injury or death in a motor vehicle crash. However, in 2012 more than 1 in 3 truck drivers who died in crashes were not buckled up, a simple step which could have prevented up to 40 percent of these deaths,” says the CDC.

A national truck driver safety survey conducted by CDC at 32 truck stops along interstate highways across the United States in 2010 showed:

  • An estimated 14 percent of long-haul truck drivers reported not using a seat belt on every trip.
  • Over one-third of long-haul truck drivers had been involved in one or more serious crashes during their driving careers.
  • Long-haul truck drivers who reported not wearing seat belts also tended to engage in other unsafe driving behaviors such as speeding and committing moving violations. They were also more likely to work for an employer that did not have a written workplace safety program.
  • Long-haul truck drivers who lived in a state with a primary seat belt law – the law that allows police to stop motorists solely for being unbelted – were more likely to report often using a seat belt.

What Employers Can Do to Improve Driver Safety

The CDC says the smartest strategy for overall truck driver safety is to prevent truck crashes from happening in the first place. Employers can help truck drivers stay safe by:

  • Committing to driver safety programs at the highest level of leadership
  • Establishing and enforcing safety policies, including requiring everyone in the truck to buckle up
  • Banning text messaging and use of hand-held phones by drivers
  • Involving workers in decisions about how to put seat belt programs in place
  • Promoting seat belt use in training and safety meetings
  • Educating truck drivers about ways to avoid distracted and drowsy driving
  • Considering engineering and design changes that might increase use of seat belts by providing increased comfort and range of motion, and allow adjustments for diverse body types

How’s My Driving? Stickers

A great way to encourage safe and effective driving is to post How Am I Driving? labels on company vehicles with a phone number for complaints from other drivers. This will help keep drivers on their best behavior – and help companies identify any issues.

Truck Driver Safety Resources: