Driving overloaded vehicles creates serious risks for drivers, fleets, and everyone sharing the road. Excess weight increases stopping distances, strains brakes and tires, and reduces vehicle control. It can also lead to costly fines, equipment damage, and major legal liability after a crash. Many fleets underestimate how quickly these risks can escalate. Understanding the consequences of driving overloaded vehicles is the first step toward preventing them.
Since 2004, Ram Services has successfully operated a fleet of right at 15 trucks out of the Dallas, Texas area. When they lost one of their drivers to a single-vehicle fatality accident in July of 2014, they knew a DOT audit was coming. What they didn’t know was just how severe that accident, coupled with one other recordable accident in a 12 month period, was going to substantially impact their business’ bottom line when the audit happened that November.
An Unanticipated Result of
