Trucker Illnesses and Injuries

Common Trucker Injuries

• Strains and sprains (50 percent)
• Bruises
• Fractures
• Cuts and lacerations
• Soreness and pain
• Multiple traumatic injuries

Events or Exposures Leading

• Overexertion
• Contact with object
• Being struck by an object
• Falling (on the same level)
• Transportation accidents

General Trucking Safety

• Large Trucks. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), National Center for Statistics and Analysis. Reports that in 2004, 416,000 large trucks (gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds) were involved in traffic crashes in the United States; 4,862 were involved in fatal crashes. A total of 5,190 people died (12% of all the traffic fatalities reported in 2004) and an additional 116,000 were injured in those crashes. In 2003, large trucks accounted for 3 percent of all registered vehicles and 7 percent of total vehicle miles traveled (2004 registered vehicle and vehicle miles traveled data not available). In 2004, large trucks accounted for 8 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and 4 percent of all vehicles involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes. One out of eight traffic fatalities in 2004 resulted from a collision involving a large truck.
• Commercial Driver's License Program (CDL/CDLIS). Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Identifies the goal of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 (which was signed into law on October 27, 1986) as improvement of highway safety by ensuring that drivers of large trucks and buses are qualified to operate those vehicles and to remove unsafe and unqualified drivers from the highways. The Act retained the state's right to issue a driver's license, but established minimum national standards that states must meet when licensing CMV drivers.
• Work-Related Roadway Crashes: Challenges and Opportunities for Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2003-119, (September, 2003). Provides a comprehensive overview of crash data, the regulatory environment, and risk factors that contribute to workplace crashes. Identifies the groups of workers at greatest risk of traffic crashes, summarizes key issues that contribute to work-related roadway crashes, and recommends preventive measures for employers and other stakeholders.
• U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The information below provides links to the primary safety sites within the DOT. Truckers are an integral part of the movement of materials between air, land, and sea.

  Air

  • Safety. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Develops and implements improved tools and processes to facilitate more effective use of safety data, both inside and outside the agency, to help improve aviation safety.

  Land

  • Reducing Highway Fatalities. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Reports nationally, in 2011, 32,885 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States - the lowest number of deaths since 1949 (30,246 fatalities in 1949). In addition, 2010 saw the lowest fatality and injury rates ever recorded: 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2010, compared to 1.13 deaths for 2009. The number of people injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2010 declined for a 11th straight year in a row, falling an estimated 2.9 percent from 2009.
  • Driving Safety. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Provides information on distracted driving, driver education, and occupant protection among other topics.
  • Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Safety Analysis. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Makes available railroad safety information including accidents and incidents, inspections and highway-rail crossing data. Users can run dynamic queries, download a variety of safety database files, publications and forms, and view current statistical information on railroad safety.

  Sea

  • Marine Safety Center. U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Works directly with the marine industry, the Commandant, and Coast Guard field units in the evaluation and approval of commercial vessel and systems designs, development of safety standards and policies, response to maritime casualties and oversight of delegated third parties in support of the Coast Guard's marine safety and environmental protection programs. The U.S. Coast Guard in now part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
• Stress Factors Experienced by Female Commercial Drivers in the Transportation Industry. Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Health & Safety (elcosh). Reports that according to 1998 occupational injury and illness data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), truck drivers, as compared to other occupations, experienced the largest number of injuries and illnesses with time away from work over the latest five years for which data is available (1992-1996). During this time, the number of injuries and illnesses declined for all occupations by about 20 percent, but the number increased by nearly five percent (up to 151,300) for truck drivers, with women accounting for 17.6 percent.
• A Summary - Improving Safety. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Summarizes the Driver and Vehicle Safety Programs authorized by TEA-21, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, including the alcohol programs, seat belt and occupant protection programs, state and community grants, state highway safety data Improvement Incentive Grants, Highway Safety Research and Development, National Driver Register, Automobile Safety and Information, and for Railway-Highway Crossings-Operation Lifesaver, Motor Carrier Safety programs, as well as other infrastructure programs.

OSHA Publications

• Longshoring Industry. OSHA Publication 2232, (Revised 2001). Contains standards related to the longshoring industry.
• Longshoring and Marine Terminals: Fatal Facts. OSHA. Detailed summaries, based on actual case files, address 42 fatal accidents in the marine cargo handling industry, including a review of the factors that contributed to the accident and how to avoid them.
• Materials Handling and Storage. OSHA Publication 2236, (Revised 2002).
• Shipyard Industry Standards. OSHA Publication 2268, (2021).

OSHA Slide Presentations and Handouts

• Health and Safety of Truckers within the United States. OSHA Slide Presentation, (May 31, 2002). Describes OSHA's role in worker protection, common trucker injuries and OSHA violations, OSHA and DOT jurisdiction, and how OSHA addresses trucker hazards. Presented at the OSHA North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Land Transport Conference.
• Health and Safety of Truckers within the United States Handout. OSHA. Includes links to OSHA, BLS, DOT, CDC/NIOSH, DOT and FMCSA.

Emergency and Disaster Response Links

Unforeseen emergencies and disasters can threaten your employees, customers, or the public; they can disrupt or shut down operations or cause major physical or environmental damage. Trucking employers need to plan for these events.

Some useful related links are:

• DisasterAssistance. Supports a multitude of Federal Agency missions including FEMA’s mission to reduce the loss of life and property and protect our institutions from all hazards. The partnerships established will support the Federal mission to provide the nation a comprehensive, risk-based emergency management program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
• Emergency Preparedness and Response. OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
• Evacuation Plans and Procedures. OSHA eTool. Assists small businesses implement an emergency action plan, and comply with OSHA's emergency standards.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Leads the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.
  • State Offices and Agencies of Emergency Management. Lists contact information A-Z for each state emergency management agency.
• General Services Administration (GSA). Serves as online gateway to GSA, the federal government’s premier acquisition agency.
• National Hurricane Center. National Weather Service. Informs the public about the hurricane hazards and provide knowledge which can be used to take action. This information can be used to save lives at work, home, while on the road, or on the water.
• Natural Hazards Center. The University of Colorado at Boulder. Serves as a national and international clearinghouse of knowledge concerning the social science and policy aspects of disasters. The Center collects and shares research and experience related to preparedness for, response to, recovery from, and mitigation of disasters, emphasizing the link between hazards mitigation and sustainability to both producers and users of research and knowledge on extreme events.
• Road Transportation. Transport Canada. Includes links to safety pages, to information for drivers and motor carriers, to infrastructure and to the transport of dangerous goods.
• Office of Hazardous Materials Safety. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Formulates, issues and revises Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) under the Federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Law. The HMR cover hazardous materials definitions and classifications, hazard communications, shipper and carrier operations, training and security requirements, and packaging and container specifications.