Are Texas Oil Companies Overworking Their Truck Drivers?

According to a Fox 7 news report, police officers from Karnes County believe that “many oil field workers are probably driving longer hours than the law allows.” The oil companies are increasing the workload on their truck drivers, which often causes them to drive fatigued.

A fleet of oil company trucks

The Eagle Ford Shale formation has brought a major boom to the oil and natural gas industries in Texas, but this increase has also caused a surge in the number of accidents involving truck drivers. Fox 7 stated that Texas transportation authorities are working on a plan to reduce accidents involving motorists and truck drivers working for the oil companies.

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In Karnes County, Sheriff Dwayne Villanueva says that the oil companies have deteriorated the roads with their heavy machinery and trucks, which causes many fatal accidents.

Sheriff Villanueva added that before the oil and gas companies came in, Karnes County would see a few serious accidents per month; now, they are seeing a few serious accidents every week. In some cases, the truck drivers for the oil companies reported that they were severely fatigued, causing them to make careless mistakes.

Transportation authorities need to find a remedy to this deadly situation quickly, because there will only be more fatigued truck drivers on the road unless the oil and gas companies are held responsible for ensuring the safety of their employees and all Texans.

Did You Know? According to the Texas Comptroller’s Office, the Eagle Ford Shale is roughly 50 miles wide and 400 miles long, spanning 23 Texas counties.

The Law Offices of Aaron Allison – Austin Personal Injury Attorney