Posts by Michael Phelan

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that can affect individuals who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, such as a motor vehicle accident. According to the American Psychological Association, PTSD can develop after exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or violence. Truck accidents can certainly fit this description,…

Truck accidents can be devastating, and in Virginia, they occur more frequently than one might think. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) releases annual reports outlining the statistics of truck accidents in the state. These reports provide valuable insights into the frequency and causes of these accidents, the severity of the resulting injuries, and…

Most people have seen a tractor-trailer spread across several lanes of traffic due to a jackknife. There are multiple dangers when this type of accident happens. Traffic in each direction can be backed up for hours while the police and others help anyone who is injured or killed at the site. The driver can be…

Trucks tend to cause more multi-vehicle accidents than cars. Trucks are longer, wider, and taller than passenger cars. Trucks can strike multiple vehicles at one time. Smaller vehicles have a harder time navigating away from large trucks. Many truck accidents involve a primary accident involving just the truck or a truck and one other vehicle,…

Truck driving is a difficult job. The hours are long. During the time a driver is behind the wheel, the driver has little contact with other people. When drivers are off-duty, there’s no family around to keep a driver happy or occupied. Driving a truck is a physically demanding job. Drivers can be on the…

Truck accidents usually cause more catastrophic injuries, permanent injuries, and severe injuries than cars due to their dimensions and weight. Cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians are simply no match for the force of a truck in the event of a collision. While some truck accidents are the fault of truck drivers, the fleets and trucking companies…

A report from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reveals an increase in deadly crashes involving commercial trucks and passenger vehicles over the past year – even though overall crash fatalities have decreased. In fact, Hampton Roads in particular saw a staggering 75% increase in fatal truck crashes in 2022 as compared to 2021.…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) plans to unveil its final proposal on speed limiters and commercial trucks sometime later this year. Currently, speed limiters (which work like they sound – they restrict a vehicle from going above a certain speed) are not required in the United States. However, the FMCSA plans to make this…

An article in Transport Topics, a freight industry publication, recently caught our attention. The article discussed a new product by tech company Idelic designed to help commercial truck fleets negotiate lower insurance rates. It does this by leveraging its current trucking safety software’s data and using it to produce reports that notify fleet supervisors about…