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A troubling car crash that involved a total of 28 cars and a long-haul truck driver has impacted the trucking industry to such a degree that it’s reassessing its safety protocols. In fact, it’s looking hard at changing trucker training and also how it conducts vehicle inspections.

The accident – which happened in the spring in Lakewood, Colorado turned into a devastating situation when a driver from Castellano 03 Trucking LLC of Houston maintained that the brakes on his truck wouldn’t work. Consequently, as he went downhill the wreck became unavoidable.

Police charged he truck driver, who to this point boasted a totally clean driving record, with three dozen felony counts. He could face serious prison time. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says 30 violations were reported out of a possible 19 violations over the course of two year. Some of these violations were connected to the brakes.

“Exactly what happened and how remains a matter for the courts to determine,” said John Kearny, CEO of Advanced Training Systems. The company designs and builds virtual simulators for truck driver training. He adds, “This tragic incident makes clear the importance of stringent enforcement of truck safety regulations and the best possible training for operators.”

The fact is that trucking is responsible for transporting 70 percent of the total freight in America. There’s little doubt that because of this figure trucking companies are feeling the pressure to both offer training while handling this market load. Furthermore, the industry is in need of 50,000 additional drivers. So the problem becomes finding drivers, training them, and then getting them out there safely and quickly.

What’s Next

A big question facing the industry is whether simulator training is the next obvious step. Perhaps this would help in confronting the issues and pressures within the industry. After all, this type of training allows drivers to learn without suffering damages and risking lives out on the highways.

What do you guys think?