Illinois has 2,185 miles of interstate and multiple ports that receive and send international goods, making our state a major hub of commerce in the United States. While this is excellent for our local economy, it also forces drivers to share the road with a significant number of tractor-trailers from all around the country.

Data from the Illinois Department of Transportation shows that there were 11,741 semi-truck crashes in 2019. Of those, 100 were fatal and another 1,814 left victims with mild to moderate injuries. Another 311 caused incapacitating injuries, including broken limbs, chest and back injuries, head injuries, abdominal injuries, and more. If an injury prevents a victim from driving, walking, working, or otherwise engaging in activities they were capable of prior to the accident, it is considered an incapacitating injury.

In 2021, it was reported by American Trucking Associations (ATA) that the trucking industry was roughly 80,000 drivers short of where it needed to be. That number was projected to pass 160,000 by 2030. The ATA estimated that one million new drivers will need to be recruited and hired over the next ten years to keep up with industry growth and replace drivers who will retire, resign, or be removed from duties for violating regulations.

If you’ve been to a grocery or retail store in recent months, chances are you have seen the effects of the truck driver shortage. As consumers, we experience the obvious effects of an employee shortage in an industry that is integral to over 70% of the nation’s economy – both price increases and lack of inventory.

Whether you drive a box truck, like those available for rent at U-Haul or Penske, or an 80,000 pound 18-wheeler, there will invariably come a time when you will find yourself driving in inclement weather. While you might want to keep your foot heavy on the gas pedal in such weather conditions to minimize the chances of reaching your destination late, doing so is ill-advised.

Multiple studies show precisely why that is the case, one of which comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to data compiled by the government agency, wet roads and careless driving contribute to some 70% of weather-related vehicle accidents. But the reality of what happens on American roadways in poor weather conditions does not end there.

When news stations show winter weather accidents, you’ll often see your fair share of crashes involving trucks. Many times you’ll see trucks that flipped over as they attempted to pass another motorist or round a circle turn when transitioning from one interstate to another. On some occasions, you’ll catch a glimpse of a rare phenomenon that is a jackknife incident.

As Illinois drivers, we are all too familiar with the winter weather and how it can make driving more dangerous than during the warmer summer months. It is not just up to passenger vehicle drivers to exercise caution in unsafe driving conditions, though. Big rig and, semi-tractor trailer and other truck drivers also need to do their part to keep everyone on the roads safe during wintertime.

There are many actions that truck drivers can take to be safer, but perhaps one of the most important is to simply slow down. But exactly how much slower should trucks travel in wintery conditions? That depends on what type of weather and road conditions a driver is presented with. However, one important piece of advice sticks out—slower is almost always better.

Sharing the road with tractor trailers can be complicated. Even when you’re all driving safely and following the rules of the road, there’s still the potential for a collision to happen at any moment. The idea of accidents is scary enough on its own, but when a commercial truck is involved, the crash instantly has even more potential to be devastating.

The reason truck accidents can be so damaging and cause serious injuries is mainly because of the size difference when the collision is between a regular vehicle and a tractor trailer. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), large trucks can weigh up to 30 times more than passenger vehicles. This means that when they collide, the passengers of regular sized cars can suffer from far more severe or deadly injuries.

Collisions of any kind can be serious and cause injuries and other damages. When it comes to accidents caused by semi trucks, those injuries could be even more dangerous, and could be deadly for those in a passenger vehicle if they’re involved in the collision as well.

Large trucks are essential to the economy because they transport goods throughout the state as well as the country. When trucks and other vehicles fail to share the road safely, it can lead to collisions between the two. Unfortunately, these commercial truck accidents can be especially dangerous because the size and weight of the trucks are much larger and heavier than regular sized motor vehicles.

When it comes to Illinois, these types of collisions are fairly common. There are a few explanations why they happen so regularly here, but one of the biggest reasons is because Illinois is one of the states with the highest amounts of freight being hauled. This means that there is a higher volume of large trucks on the road because there is so much freight to pick-up, deliver and transport.