Truck Rollover Prevention

Truck Rollover

Article by Igor Gavric

Most truck rollovers are actually preventable. Read on to learn how to prevent truck rollover and to find an overview of possible causes of rollovers.

Many factors related to heavy vehicle operation, as well as factors related to roadway design and road surface properties, can cause heavy vehicles to become yaw unstable or to roll. Over 78% of rollovers involve some kind of driver error, and over 90% of the time, the rollover is not the "first" event. As a driver, YOU are the key component for preventing rollovers.

Truck rollovers have a higher fatality rate than other types of heavy vehicle collisions.

In The Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) performed by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, it was found that there are three main contributing factors to cargo truck rollover accidents, which include the following:

The three biggest causes of rollovers are:

SPEED - Failure to adjust speed to loads being carried, weather and road conditions. Speed is the biggest contributor to rollover crashes, being involved in 45% of the crashes making up the LTCCS sample. Speed misjudgment, being in too much of a hurry, going too fast to make turns, ignoring posted limits, trying to beat a traffic light, insufficient following distance, not adjusting speed to the features of the road (failure to adjust speed on long downgrades, failure to reduce speed to accommodate the limited sight distance) and weather conditions (braking on slippery surfaces, adjusting speed to limited visibility) are most common causes of speed related rollovers. The higher and heavier the load, the greater the need to reduce speed during driving and maneuvers.

INATTENTION - Failing to pay attention to driving and being distracted are common to operation of all vehicles. Not being observant to what is going on ahead of the truck, necessitating a sudden change in direction and becoming drowsy and falling asleep are significant problems in trucking, due in great part to the length of time and hours of the day that much of it occurs. Sleep deprivation, not being observant to what is going on ahead of the truck, a sudden change in direction, drifting off the road, and being distracted are most common causes of inattention related rollovers.

POOR CONTROL - Steering errors in controlling the motion of the truck (understeering, over-steering, overcorrecting, difficulty staying in lane, difficulty turning corners); lack of adequate visual search (failure to look far enough ahead, diverted attention); failure to assure the security of the load (speed of the vehicle combined with the height, weight or stability of the load itself), driver state (physical or mental health conditions, medications); vehicle conditions (tire failure, brake failure, part failure, load failure caused by loading before truck was assigned to the driver) are most common causes of poor control related rollovers.

Overcoming the biggest causes of rollovers

Attentive driving can prevent most rollovers. Stay alert behind the wheel at all times.

The FMSCA’s solution to prevent rollovers is as follows:
"Instruction in rollover prevention, like most truck driver training, comes through printed publications. The use of video would help drivers recognize incipient rollovers while currently available simulation would allow drivers to experience the consequences of mistakes without risk."

Truck drivers behind the wheel of a tanker truck motor vehicles carrying hazardous materials face numerous safety risks while on the road and they are especially at risk for truck rollovers. Cargo tank truck design, highway conditions, load effects, and driver error can all cause a rollover. Watch the following video from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to learn how to maintain a high level of safety and to prevent tanker rollovers.

Cargo Tank Truck Rollover Prevention Video

Helpful Links:

IMPORTANT INFO

A new U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 136 require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on truck tractors and certain buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 11,793 kilograms (26,000 pounds). ESC systems in truck tractors and large buses are designed to reduce untripped rollovers and mitigate severe understeer or oversteer conditions that lead to loss of control by using automatic computer-controlled braking and reducing engine torque output. The standard requires truck tractors and certain buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of greater than 26,000 pounds to be equipped with ESC beginning 2017.

According to the NHTSA, the requirement will prevent 1,807 to 2,329 crashes, 649 to 858 injuries, and 49 to 60 fatalities at less than $3 million per equivalent life saved, while generating positive net benefits of more than $300 million annually.

NOTE: The rule will not require older trucks be retrofit with ESC technology.

DID YOU KNOW?

You might be surprised to learn that according to a recent study conducted for the U. S. Department of Transportation, only about 7% of cargo tank rollovers occur on exit ramps. Eight times as many rollovers occur on straight roadways, often when a driver "over-corrects" after dropping a wheel off the road surface, or becoming distracted.

Many drivers might think that poor driving conditions or taking sharp curves too fast lead to most rollovers. The truth is, only 4% of single vehicle rollovers are caused by roadway and environment-related reasons.

In most cases of rollovers, there is some other dangerous event that occurs before the rollover. It might be drowsiness or inattention, drifting over onto a soft shoulder, riding up over a curb, or incorrectly making a turn at an intersection. Drivers can never be too comfortable behind the wheel. Stay alert behind the wheel at all times.

Inattention, dozing and distraction necessitate sudden course corrections leading to rollovers.

Approximately 38% of rollovers involve drivers with more than 10+ years of driving experience.

A quarter of rollovers result from failure to adjust speed to the height and weight of the load being carried.

Three control errors that are relatively unique to truck rollovers are turning too sharply, turning too little to remain on the road and overcorrecting path errors.

The Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) reported that 5 percent of truck crashes occurred when the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) driver was following the lead vehicle too closely.