What Is A "Large Truck" and Are They Subject To Higher Accident Rates
Truck accidents are very frequent in the Atlanta, Georgia area, as the highways see very large volumes of truck traffic. One question which we are often asked is “what is a large truck?”
The federal government defines large trucks as those which weigh more than 10,000 pounds and can be either single-unit vehicles or combination vehicles consisting of a single-unit truck or tractor pulling one or more trailers.
The federal commercial vehicle maximum weight standard on the interstate highway system is 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, unless a higher maximum weight existed on the state level before July 1, 1956.
Off the interstate highway system, states may set their own commercial vehicle weight standards. In most states, the maximum permitted length for a single trailer is 53 feet. Tractors pulling two 28-foot trailers are known as twins or western doubles.
Trucks that are even bigger than western doubles are allowed to travel on some roads. These trucks, called longer combination vehicles, either have three trailers or at least two, one of which is 29 feet or longer, or the tractor and two trailers have a combined weight exceeding 80,000 pounds.
Longer combination vehicles are prohibited in many states and are allowed only in states that permitted them prior to June 1, 1991.
Another question which we are often asked is whether large trucks have a higher accident rate.
According to the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, on average, drivers of large trucks travel many more miles than passenger vehicle drivers, and a high proportion of those miles are on interstates, which are the safest roads.
In 2008, large trucks accounted for 4 percent of registered vehicles and 8 percent of miles traveled. Per unit of travel, large trucks are involved in more fatal crashes than passenger vehicles — 1.7 crashes per 100 million miles traveled in 2008 for large trucks, compared with compared with 1.4 for passenger vehicles. Large trucks have a much lower rate per mile traveled of crashes resulting in injuries or property damage only compared with passenger cars and light trucks.
Multiple-trailer trucks have more handling problems than single-trailer trucks. In general, the additional connection points contribute to greater instability, which can lead to jackknifing, overturning, and lane encroachments. But the relationship between multiple-trailer trucks and crash risk is not firmly established. A study in Washington state found that doubles (tractors pulling two trailers) were two to three times as likely as other rigs to be in crashes, but a study in Indiana found that doubles did not show increased crash risk except on roads with snow, ice, or slush. One mitigating factor may be that doubles often are operated by drivers with good safety records working for large companies with active safety programs.
