The overall size of a semi-truck is largely what makes it such an intimidating and dangerous type of vehicle. Trucks are so large and heavy that they can cause deadly or permanent injuries due to the damage they cause during collisions.
Both the size and the weight of a semi-truck can influence the damage it could cause and how a truck driver operates the vehicle in traffic. It seems reasonable to assume that a semi-truck with nothing in the trailer or without a trailer attached is safer in traffic than a fully-loaded semi-truck that is far heavier.
Contrary to what many people might assume, an unloaded semi-truck can be even more dangerous than a commercial vehicle with a heavy load. What makes a semi truck without a trailer or an unloaded trailer a significant collision risk?
Vehicle design assumes a heavy load
The design features integrated into semi-trucks help ensure safe control of a heavy, loaded vehicle. The training that commercial drivers receive also largely focuses on controlling a fully-loaded vehicle.
Drivers may forget to appropriately modify their conduct when hauling an unloaded trailer or driving a deadhead truck with no trailer attached. In some cases, the lack of a load could increase stopping distance because of how the brakes in commercial trucks work. As such, there’s a greater risk of a driver with an unloaded semi-truck failing to slow down or stop in time to prevent a collision.
Drivers may be exhausted
Frequently, professionals transporting a deadhead truck without a trailer or a semi-truck with an unloaded trailer have already been on the job for hours. This may be the last leg of a long trip that could have kept them on the road for 10 hours or even more.
As such, the driver is more likely to be too tired to drive with optimal safety than those who are only on the road briefly or at the beginning of a shift. Fatigued drivers may struggle to remain focused. They may notice an increase in their reaction times. They are more likely to make judgment mistakes in traffic. All of that combined can result in a tragic but preventable collision.
Regardless of whether a truck had a load or not, its driver or their employer could potentially be liable for the harm caused by a semi-truck collision. Reviewing the circumstances of a crash, such as the absence of a load, with a skilled legal team can help people affected by commercial crashes evaluate their options and hold the right party accountable for a wreck.