Four out of the five families who lost a daughter in the crash that took the lives of five GSU nursing students have reached a settlement with Total Transportation and its parent company U.S. Xpress. Only one family chose to disclose the settlement amount that family will receive: $14 million.
Tomorrow marks the 1-year anniversary of the crash that killed Caitlyn Nicole Baggett, Emily Elizabeth Clark, Abbie Lorene DeLoach, Morgan Bass and Catherine “McKay” Pittman. The young women, all between 20 and 21 years old, were in two vehicles on Interstate 16 in Bryan County. They were headed to their last clinical of the year in Savannah when they found themselves in stop-and-go traffic caused by an earlier accident. It was while they were in traffic that a tractor trailer crashed into them at 68 miles per hour, causing a chain reaction that killed five students and severely injured two others.
The truck, owned by Total Transportation, did not slow down at all before the impact. The driver stated during his deposition that he could not explain why he did not see the stopped cars or the long line of traffic ahead of him, but claims that he was not asleep at the wheel. Though it appears he was texting before the crash, investigators claim that he was not texting at the time the crash happened.
According to attorneys for the families of the victims, this was not the first time the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel. In fact, he had been fired from his previous job after falling asleep and totaling his vehilce.
The lawsuits against Total Transportation alleged that they were negligent in hiring the driver since he failed to meet their own hiring standards having previously totaled a different rig in an accident. Both the President of Total Transportation and the Vice President of Safety and Recruiting admitted that the driver “did not meet Total Transportation hiring criteria due to previously rolling a tractor-trailer while employed by another company, asleep at the wheel, should have never been hired and allowed behind the wheel of a Total Transportation tractor-trailer.”
It wasn’t just hiring him that was the mistake, claimed the families’ lawyers. The company was also negligent because they had held the driver at the terminal, forcing him to wait 10 hours before starting his trip. They also claim the truck should have been outfitted with autonomous braking safety systems and driver-facing cameras.
In addition to Total Transportation, the suits also named the driver; parent company U.S. Xpress Enterprises; U.S. Xpress Inc.; U.S. Express Leasing Inc.; the holding company, New Mountain Lake Holdings LLC; and Mountain Lake Risk Retention Group LLC, an insurer of U.S. Xpress.
Total Transportation, U.S. Xpress and the other companies will be responsible for paying $14 million to just one of the families, but it is not known how much the other 3 families who settled will be receiving. The family of Morgan Bass is still negotiating a settlement.
“By these large settlements, it is our sincere hope that Total Transportation and U.S. Xpress will never again jeopardize the lives of the motoring public by hiring drivers who have been fired by other companies for unsafe driving practices,” said one attorney representing the families.
“It’s an extraordinary amount of money,” said another attorney. “But these were extraordinary young women.”
The families are also suing the driver and the carrier who were involved in the crash which caused the traffic the young women were stuck in, claiming that they were negligent in having caused that crash.
Source: wbtw, dailyreportonline, cbs, jacksonville, statesboroherald, wjcl, wtvm, timesfreepress
Money will never replace the loss those families have suffered. Any driver is a direct extension of the company he is driving for. With his known driving record, he should have never been aloud to drive OTR again. I guess US Xpress and Total Transportation didnt mind the representation that driver was giving thier companies with his past record.
“The families are also suing the driver and the carrier who were involved in the crash which caused the traffic the young women were stuck in, claiming that they were negligent in having caused that crash.”
Really? Sue the people in the previous accident that caused everyone to slow down? Stretching your net pretty wide there, Mr. Shyster. By that logic I should sue the road commission for the snow on my road that caused me to slide into the ditch.
It’s called ROAD CONDITIONS, people. Including accidents. You deal with them when they show up. Don’t blame them for the moron who slams into you from behind. And by the way, am I the ONLY person who watches their rear view mirrors just in case something like this situation happens to me? Just because you’re stopped in traffic is no reason to let your guard down because as we all know its easier to hit a stationary target.
Having said that, I agree USXpress should’ve had their ass handed to them; hiring a driver with an at fault rollover probably caused by untreated sleep apnea??? Stupid.
Now your a doctor making guesses to what happened. Maybe driving texting maybe fell asleep. More likely caused by making him wait 10 hrs to leave. Ugh!
Hey Panda… I thought that I was the only one paranoid about being rear ended. LOL! I’m sure that we are not the only ones.
I agree with you, brother.
I agree with you 100%. The sad part is that the court systems will allow such a frivolous case to move forward. That is a big problem with America today. Yes, the loss of the young women is tragic, but the families are starting to look at the money if they support suing under the proposed, preposterous, law suit against those involved in the accident which caused the traffic jam. No amount of money can replace your loved ones and you have settled with those who were directly responsible. Stop reaching in trying to make those who weren’t directly involved in your loss to pay. If you go after them I think you should sue yourselves as well for allowing your child to be in that nursing program because if you didn’t they wouldnt have been in those vehicles. Sounds obsured right, but not more obsured than going after people involved in an accident that was not involved with yours.
RIP in heaven little angels. This is a sad story and I’m glad these families got the truth on what really happened. Since this incident I will glance in the rear view even more while stopped on a highway in bumper to bumper traffic making sure the drivers behind are paying attention and stop before ramming into us. Alot of amateur drivers out there that aren’t fully aware the dangers when you don’t pay attention traveling at high speeds on the highway or even going into a turn/curve and not being able to see far ahead due to the curve/shoulder/concrete and still blazing thru. If there is stopped traffic around that turn that’s a death accident waiting to happen. Be careful out there. Coming from an ex 72 semi driver 48 states with Hazmat and no accidents, and still driving Propane in smaller trucks.
72′ semi truck driver * I meant to type up there
I am sad for their loss. US Express should have known about the previous accident. It only takes a phone call, unless that company, too, was face with a multi million dollar settlement; putting them out of business.
I kind of feel like the family is over reaching; pursuing the other trucking company, for causing the previous accident. Is it known for fact, that it was the truckers fault?
Also. Do we know the experience level of the driver of this accident? If he is falling asleep; will this be a sleep apnea issue?
They gonna sue all the truckers and carriers that were at the interstate at the time. Since they see how much they can squeze out of them. It’s not about justice anymore – it’s all about money.
only one problem with that, they can get all the money they want, that isn’t going to bring back their dead.
When has a trucker ever had to have been at fault for an accident to be blamed for the accident?
When the police have an agenda. In 2005 I was give a “Vehicular Manslaughter” charge,after the guy ran a red light into the side of my truck killing his passenger.He was an Ohio state EMPLOYEE,driving an Ohio STATE OWNED vehicle. The guy who was killed was a patient of an Ohio State hospital. Now who’s neglience got covered up by the Ohio Highway Patrol ? Not the “out of state” truck driver. And you think cops are honest,and trustworthy? Not if they’re “Paid by the state to commit perjury” to protect other state employees. Equal Justice ? These families deserve it. This company,and the driver both are at fault,but the drivers previous employer. That would open another legal issue. Your past employers from years ago could be held liable ?
I still don’t know why every state doesn’t have a law enforcement officer, or at the very least some sort of state or highway angel vehicle at the back of a traffic jam warning motorists of stopping traffic. Some states do it sometimes, like Tennessee, and will continue moving as the backup grows.
It’s because most states look at their police force as a source of revenue (law enforcement) instead of using them for the purpose of which they are intended: Public safety.
Such a sad story. This is why we need to do deep back ground checks. I’ve been driving 33 years with a clean record and 2014 a drunk driver ran a stop sign and hit me totaling my truck and trailer. He was a repeat offender. Sounds like this truck driver was a repeat offender.
There’s some good in this (blaming the company for holding a driver for 10 hrs before his trip. One could argue he was supposed to be sleeping, but more likely he was on “standby” until something opened up)
And some bad (brake assist and driver cameras cannot be part of the cause of the accident if they aren’t required. Might as well sue every car on that road that didn’t have antilock brakes)
$14 million per? I wonder if that’s the going rate for all the families? If not, it will be now that it’s public. (Ouch!)
I used to drive for total & it was common to be detained for hrs on end. I delvd a load at 7am & was told by my dispatcher to go back to bed for 10 hrs after I had just got out 2 hrs prior. I ended up getting a headache from constant calling from dispatcher & terminal manager so I preceded to be late on delivery knowing there is a safety concern. I got ripped apart for being late by tony. told him that I did in fact had the that same load on Monday but his buddy didn’t have the paperwork ready for me to cross into Canada. they sent the load to me on Friday so I would have difficult to get it to Canada on Saturday. I had seen some drivers there when I was there & since then that shouldn’t been driving. I got fired for their mechanical problems nonrepairs which caused minor problems.
I’ve been an advocate for years for requiring store bought & in dash GPS units to communicate with the other GPS units near them…
Imagine, how many accidents like this one or low visibility accidents (rain, snow, fog) could be avoided if your GPS alarmed to warn you the GPS units ahead of you were suddenly stopping or crashing.
There should be a mandated requirement for GPS communication technology. It would save untold numbers of lives, decrease property damage.
Hopefully, something positive will come from the tragic loss of these young ladies instead of poorly thought out regulations that won’t reduce the risk of more tragedies. But, will instead, cause new problems…
It’s already there. Eg. Garmin’s HD Traffic. sorry to tell you – you didn’t discover America at this time.
I agree Mike with the GPS dash system idea. But here is the bird droppings in the soup. If these drivers can’t see stopped traffic how are they going to pay attention to the dash board and the alert of stopped traffic ahead.
Still due to the fact that a semi was involved is the result of huge settlements and front page coverage in the news.. If it were a car or pick up or camper hitting them we would hear very little about the deaths of those young girls. A flash in the pan on the news.
I feel today that our new drivers don’t know anything about driving. . Don’t know how or when to use a turn signal. Don’t see anything going on around them. Think paying attention. When 85% to 88% of car truck accidents are caused by the car driver. I think that most of the anti crash- anti lane change electronics should be first placed on ALL cars bought today. That is the only way to prove we are not the bad guys.
Yes, now and again someone with a CDL slips through the cracks.. 3 million CDL holders in the US. How many of them are on the road at the same time? Compare the numbers of trucks to the number of cars sharing the road on any given day at the same time. Staggering comparison.
Remember the driver that burned to death due to some jackwad that did not tie his mattress down properly and it fell onto the roadway and the trucker tried to avoid it and crashed. What happened to that story and the driver that caused it? Big carriers need to due due diligence and stop hiring less than qualified steering wheel holders. Stiffen the the hiring standards and stop the open door stampede of drivers that are not qualified to be in a Semi.
Simple test of how to spot a poorly qualified driver. Watch them in a parking lot. The faster they go the less qualified they are. Simple test. We won’t go into the P bombs. Every one have a safe day and be careful.
this guy never slowed down so would he have really paid attention to an alarm that the gps he may or may not have had was making? I can say this ,speed was a factor. I have had almost the same thing happen to me. It was night time and raining ,came over this hill doing 60 in a 55 made a bend in the road and the traffic was at a serious slow down. Being as I didn’t have too much weight on I really didn’t want to get on the brakes to hard but then the traffic took a different turn. It came to almost a complete stop and my first reaction was ( shit ). Then the traffic moved real quick and I avoided a serious crash . I was moving along with the traffic when all this happened. Did this drivers statement ever say he had a GPS or not.?
Brilliant idea, sir. Google maps does it, and that’s a free service. Why can’t we get it on something that costs hundreds of dollars?
Same thing happened to me. I was moving through a construction zone when a semi didn’t slow down and slammed into me from behind. Luckily there were no other vehicles involved, and I wasn’t injured, likely because I was also driving a box truck at the time. My load of household goods was mostly destroyed, and the trucking company had to pay for the damages. One of the construction crew was injured. The driver, who assumed he would be fired, got on his phone immediately to call around for another job and got one driving a dump truck or something for another company within a few hours of the accident. No idea what the driver had been doing, but he wasn’t paying attention to the road.
Was that you that I saw on I-81 today in PA? Just past exit 199?
They were negligent in making the driver take a 10 hour break? Umm… that’s the law. Autonomous breaking isn’t going to help when the truck is going 68 and traffic is stopped.
Agreed the driver should never have been in that truck but some of it doesn’t add up.
That’s right Kevin. I didn’t understand the 10 hr thing that they were talking about. I have driven trucks equipped with Autonomous breaking. I hate the damn things. Also.. They will not, as you said, prevent this type of accident from happening.
That truck would not have been traveling at 68 mph at the point of impact with auto brake and the driver may have been awakened by the hard brake thus giving him time to swerve. I’ve driven with them for years and yes they can be a nuisance but for mr.sleepy head they’re a must.
Yes. The Autonomous breaking would have activated, but because of the speed; it is doubtful that there would have been a better outcome.
I have autonomous braking on this truck. Here’s what I’ve experienced : sometimes the system will slam on the brakes for no reason simply because it “thought” something was in front of me. For instance; let’s say you are approaching an overpass, but the road dips so that trucks will fit underneath. From a distance it looks like the bridge collapsed and the bridge is lying in the road blocking your path. That’s what the system sees so it slams on the brakes. Or if there is a sharp curve ahead and it looks like a gaurdrail or perhaps a house is in your path. These are just 2 examples but there are plenty more. And don’t forget, it sends an alert to the company that this has ocurred. The company may or if your lucky, may not hold this against you, but God forbid, if you are involved in an accident in the future, the NTSB will use those incedents against you. Saying that this driver has had X number of alerts that have gone off in his truck and has alerted the company. Just like they did the Wal Mart driver.
Did Wal-Mart trucks have Autonomous breaking when that driver slammed into Tracy Morgan? I know that they have it now.
All those big companies do it. They make you wait for a load then when you have 10 hrs off they give you a load and tell you it has to be delivered tomorrow at 0700 and you have gotten any rest because you were waiting for the load.Well does anyone realize that waiting for a load is considered on duty/not driving time ! All he or any has to do is tell dispatch that they held you long enough and now you are out of hours and they,by law ,can’t send you out. If they do all you have to do is drive half an hour maybe an hour away then take the required time off in the sleeper. I used to do it,so I wouldn’t loose the load,but there’s nothing they can do because you are doing it legal.
Yep. It’s up to the driver to know enough to stop and sleep. regardless of when that appointment is. If you have to stay on duty to get your sleep then so be it.
Im not sure what a Life is worth but I also feel lije the family is over reaching by suing the other cimpany for the prior accident..I have been a trucker for 20 years niw and gave only had 1 accident.Pulled doubles and the rear trailer was loaded top heavy and wasnt stated in the BOL..Got on the shoulder for a break and it rolled over on me…Im an O/O now and it seems like everyone is provided multiple outlets to pursue truck drivers when they do something wrong but as trucker were not afforded the same opportunities..Alot of this suing stuff is turning into a Money grab
Yeah.. Some of these ambulance chasers, even only specialize in semi accidents.
don’t fart because the EPA will be notified that you are polluting the air.
Got some money hungry lawyers in Texas. All I can say. Just a sign of the times, pay peanuts for truck drivers, you get the monkey’s we have behind the wheels.
And the scummy Lawyers will get in excess of $5 million in this one case! I hope the driver of the truck is in Prison for life! US Express has horrible drivers overall.
I don’t understand, I-16 is flat most of the way. Waiting at the terminal for a load, can cause extreme tiredness. A driver just can’t fall asleep instantly, then U.S xpress dispatches you!! They are know for that, I left..I guess Max is going to have to sell the Italian marble….Some drivers should have stayed in school and not chosen this profession..It is dangerous!!!!
I can fall asleep for a ten minute break,I mean asleep,and wake up wide eyed and bushey tailed. Drive a couple a hundred and do it again but eventually it catches up and you have to take that sleeper time . This profession is dangerous and with all these new rules and regulations they are coming out with to make it less dangerous they are making ot worse. These big companies don’t care about the drivers. If you don’t want to run 30 hours straight I can get Bill over there to do it, he’s done it before and he’ll do it again. This is their attitude and 85% maybe more dispatchers have never sat behind the wheel of a truck. They don’t care because they are going to get their bonus at the end of the quarter.
If you’re at the terminal or any place waiting on a load, you should say to yourself: ok I need some SLEEP! Now if it’s 6 am you’re up in and out the dispatch office, and now 6 pm comes and they have a load for you, you’ve been off/sleeper 12 hours. The driver is now responsible for taking load knowing that he has not slept. In detail, the dispatcher can say hey man, you haven’t rested properly cause of being in/out of office all day. Again it’s a business and freight had to move. Driver was verified by system to have available hours to run legally. DRIVER ERROR, now one else’s fault!!! Could have taken load, get it off yard and stop at 1st truck stop it rest area and taken some sleeper berth time!
It’s time to take a long look at U.S. Express, when you observe other major trucking companies and then look at U.S. X it’s very obvious that the company lacks organization, they need improvements in their driver training program and most of all they need to get their junky equipment off the road.
One thing you can do in the event traffic comes to a stand still is to NOT pullup to the vehicle in front of you like most people do… In traffic or on the highway or a traffic light. Give yourself some wiggle room to move over or at least to lessen the potential impact.
Paying attention to traffic means using your mirrors , pay attention to your surroundings.
AND keep your damn CB on, can be annoying at times, but most of us that have them on get some warning from other drivers in the jam up or going opposite direction can forewarn you. Phone down and CB on!!
Trucking companies have very deep pockets. Lawyers love it when a tractor-trailer is involved, particularly when the semi driver is so blatantly at fault, as in this case.
If all the families are awarded huge payouts, this company will quickly be out of business, but that’s the price they pay for not being dilligent in their hiring practices.
Wow! Slamming into stopped traffic at 68 mph without even touching the brakes? That’s insane and a miracle only 5 people were killed. He must’ve plowed thru 10-15 cars before coming to a stop! I’m glad the families sued and got what they did. Even if all of them get roughly the same amount, that’s around 75 million not including all property damage and legal fees. That’s gonna hurt, bad… and that’s a good thing. These companies need to quit hiring incompetent and unsafe drivers just to fill seats and maybe this will teach them! I guarantee the driver was either 1) asleep or 2) browsing social media on his phone since they proved he wasn’t texting at the time. The first one is a problem but the second is an epidemic that has got to be stopped! Not only is it getting people killed, the insurance rates are skyrocketing due to all the property damage and related lawsuits and that effects everyone. I do not agree with driver-facing cameras at all. They are a total invasion of privacy in my opinion, but when companies keep paying out these 75 million dollar lawsuits, you are eventually going to see one in every single truck. Anyways, what a tragic story!
Yeah forward facing cameras…they wanted to try them in a few trucks where I drive for…I said if you do I will personally Jack off when I’m stopped on break, they said we know you would, okay and never put one in my truck….lol
Why would you do that standing in front of the truck?
Yes autonomous braking would have prevented the crash. It slows down my truck when someone suddenly cuts me off or slows for an exit.
It also would have alerted a drowsy driver that something is happening.
Even if it wouldn’t prevent the crash it would have made it less severe. Say 30 mph instead of 68.
Typical bad reporting. It sounds like the terminal did not have a load ready when the driver was ready. So he had to leave when the load was ready so it changed his regular sleep cycle.
OK then. I still don’t buy it. However… 30 MPH 80,000 LBS versus a car. Cars today crumpled up like an accordion & dig semis drive over them like big monster trucks.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree.
This type of thing will continue to happen as long as the trucking companies continue to hire anyone with a pulse .
I’ve been in the industry as a driver/owner operator for 33 years and I have never seen such poorly trained and unprofessional drivers.
It’s all about the money first and foremost with the mega carriers and safety always plays second fiddle to the almighty dollar.
I’m glad to see that the shaky hiring policies are being exposed but I have to wonder how many more people will have to die before a trucker is trained,treated and paid like a professional.
All the electronic gadgets in the world won’t help as long as profit trumps training.
My condolences to the families.
Now this is just taking it too far. It’s one thing to hold the driver and his company accountable but now this greedy family and their greedy lawyers want to sue the people from the wreck that caused the stop and go traffic? What? Are you serious?
Then I have a case every time I get on a Houston freeway (where I’m from)
And also, they said the company was negligent fir not having driver facing camera?
So invading a driver’s privacy is OK?
I am grateful I am out of trucking after 16 years…I missed it at first, but now with e-logs becoming mandatory and cameras that watch the driver, y’all can keep it
More and more companies put drivers with questionable histories and drivers continue to apply for truck driving jobs knowing they have shady past from criminal, felonies, being fired or let go for bad driving habits, tailgating, running to fast, dwi, dui, when will it stop I got into this business 28 years ago, gotten worse
So it’s all the company fault huh? Not the government for forcing you to get computer that tells you when your tired
With the DOT caused driver shortage companies are forced to put idiots like him behind the wheel but make no mistake, this was the driver’s fault all the way. He was going to kill someone sooner than later no matter what company he drove for.
@ Gladigotout,, what the heck do you mean by,,” With the DOT caused driver shortage companies are forced to put idiots like him behind the wheel”. Company’s have caused whatever shortages they may be experiencing. Don’t go blaming everything on the government.
With all the competition out there I’m not so sure that trucking companies that have very Deep Pockets especially the smaller ones even the big ones work a very narrow profit margin with all of the descriptions and violations and government rules and regulations and taxes and maybe a hundred and 125cpm. It’s difficult to get an average “IQ” to work 70hrs a week and get paid straight time,,,,,33 cents a mile…..they r living day to day if they r not single,,,no home or family or other family to take care of…….Jim my Hoff ,,,where r you???????
A few additional facts about this case: the driver took his 10 at the terminal then had to wait an additional 10 before going on duty. Also, the driver was not asleep at the time of the accident, he was playing on his phone. He had sent a text 10 minutes before the accident and an “adult” video was playing on his phone at the time of the impact. This was not a rookie driver, he had nearly 1 million miles between his last 2 companies.
Thanks for the facts Total. Then this is just like the driver who drove over that cop a few years ago. He had a driver facing camera.
This go’s to show that simple mistakes by experienced people does in fact happen, now it’s time to pay the piper.
I wonder how much of that money those 5 girls will get to enjoy. I hate that this happened, but you aren’t guaranteed to get home. Total and US Ex should just shut the doors and put those several thousand employees they have out of work. See how that goes over in this need it now world we live in. Greed is and will be the downfall of America.
I take it he had electronic logs. It doesn’t matter as much how many hours you take off as it does WHEN you take those hours off. Taking off for 10 when you’re not sleepy does no one any good.
@Gary Tate, truck driving is not a 9 to 5 job. Truck driving requires you to adapt to all sort’s of sleeping patterns.
Well this will pop another thousand billboards that read “Have you been involved in a truck related accident” if so call dirt bag and dirt bag today!!!
SMITH SYSTEM is the way to go!
It operates on 5 key principles:
1.Aim High In Steering
Look at least 15 seconds into your future, not just at the vehicle in front of you.
2.Get the Big Picture
Look for hazards. (Other Motorists, Pedestrians, Vehicle doors opening, etc.)
3.Keep Your Eyes Moving
Don’t stare. Use your peripheral vision. Stop the fixed habit stare.
4.Leave Yourself an Out
Monitor the space cushion around you.
5.Make Sure They See You
Use your signals. (Directional, 4-way Flashers, Head Lights, Brake Lights, Horn, Hand Signals.) Make eye contact.
Truck Drivers who have gone through this unique defensive driving course have a higher likelihood of enjoying a long accident free trucking career, and it helps reduce the likelihood of a ticket, when you see the BIG PICTURE.
…………and remember ” its easier for the carrier CSR to deal with an angry receiver or shipper(in case of lateness), than for you or your carrier to deal with a crash whose cost can be astronomical …………lost career/ income, jail time, $ lost,time lost, dead/injured people, grieving families.. DRIVE MINDFULLY, BE WHERE YOU AREIN TOTAL and when tired, take a power nap or break.
It is my understanding that US Express is ordering trucks with automatic transmissions because they cannot find enough drivers who can shift manuals. This is of 2 years ago. So what did they expect?
I agree with you. I believe they should be offering you a choice of a manual or automatic. I drive a 13 speed, and have for many years, I told them you give me an auto and I’m gone. I keep getting my 13 speed,end of story.
don’t fart because the EPA will be notified that you are polluting the air.
I don’t like the automatics, I have more control of the tractor with a standard. Automatics get drivers in trouble. They start driving them like a car and any trucker knows, when you start driving the rig like a car, your going to have an accident.
I was there when this accident happened. I hauled containers out of Savannah. They were east bound and I was west bound. I’m glad the company at fault has been punished but I don’t think it’s fair to lay liability on the accident that happened first.(tanker fire if I remember correctly) I just hate that this is what it took for dispatchers in that area to realize they push drivers too hard sometimes. Sad day. Best wishes to the families if they are on here.
The part I don’t understand is why they were suing over the company keeping him at the terminal for 10 hours before he left on his trip. That sounds like the 10 hour break that is required before being able to start the trip clock again. Can someone explain to me why this is something to sue a company for??
Because they tell you they don’t have any loads at this time then when Its time to hit the sleeper they come out with this run that has to be delivered tomorrow and at this time you are already out of hours because waiting for a load is considered on duty not driving time but 95% of all drivers don’t log it that way , they log off duty to accumulate hours to be able to work and not sleep when they should be resting .
It is an extraordinary amount of money,but these were extraordinary women,said the lawyer…hum!! The cynic in me says:NOT that extraordinary,give them each a couple of mill and call it a day…Why the hell do they think that dying equates to winning the lottery?? Damn lawyers,the driver should be executed,families all be given 2 mill clean money each,no appeals,case closed & these lawyers barred from taking another case like this for 5 yrs.
Yeah, I caught that too! What is less extraordinary? I guess if it was a couple of young women on a lunch break from cashiering at Wal-Mart they would of received less—-after all Cashiers are a dime a dozen.
They can try to sue driver but the driver is idemtified from a lawsuit which he is under the protection of the company he worked for … And all legal matters it was a accident not a willful act he wanted to cause accident .if they sue him he can sue company
I use to work for US Xpress. while I don’t like the company and they need to be held responsible for hiring the driver. The real responsibility of the crash centers on the driver himself.
And further more. no matter how much technology you put in the trucks. it will never stop crashes.
Suing over not having the braking systems? Umm really? Are they morons? Those have failed many many tests that they’ve been put through. Sorry I don’t trust a computer to stop my 80,000 lb truck! MAYBE they need to look into the standards of which they are hiring drivers! If they’ve totaled one truck before and was found at fault and was a preventable, maybe thy should find a new line of work not keep getting hired.
Just another company that will lower their hiring standards to put “A body in a seat” cross your fingers and hope he/she does not take out a family or a couple of nursing students. C.R England’s trucking schools put bodies in seats knowing that they should not be there but, hey, eventually they will get it! Lets just cross our fingers that they get it before their driver training time is over. I am sure Total/U.S Express, CR. England are not the only carriers that do this. I mentioned C.R because I worked for them.
I wonder if the former company the driver worked for expressly and specifically noted on his DAC and the Hwy Patrol properly documented on his CSA about the rollover? If these were promptly documented then TTMS is in the wrong for hiring him however, drivers can leave a job on Monday and be in orientation on Tuesday, during the hiring process if the DAC and CSA were not documented and uploaded in the system within 24hrs the new company doesn’t have a clue as to who they are really putting to work.
The end is insight for truckers… I find it hard to understand why total transportation didn’t do a sleep apnea test on the driver. Especially after finding out that the driver totaled one truck to falling asleep at the wheel. Which doesn’t matter anymore. I think it should be a standard pratice in trucking. That all drivers that have a dot recordable at fault accident on the road. Should have to take a sleep apnea test during the pre employment screening process. Otherwise known as orientation.
Trucking is a very hard and stressful job and I didn’t realize it until I went on the road with my husband. They drive all times of hours and conditions. The comments that USX and Total should be closed is quite harsh because thousands of people would be out of work and it would thus affect their families. Your family would hurt too. Who do you thinks delivers to your local Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Home Depot, and Walmart? Or help get your packages from one Amazon, UPS or FedEx center to another? These two companies deliver freight for these major companies. If every time there is an accident and unfortunately someone dies, you want to put that company out of business? Then who would drive snd how would you get your basic necessities? IJS?