More than 70 percent of goods moved through Virginia and other states are transported by truck. A company called BlyncSync is looking to make the job of being a trucker safer for all involved. There are about seven million people who are employed by the trucking industry with about half of those employed as drivers. They can work up to 70 hours a week, and there are at least 100,000 crashes per year attributed to sleep-deprived truckers.
BlyncSync says that its goal is to create ways to make drivers better and to help them develop better relationships with dispatchers. The company also says that it will create a variety of products such as smart hard hats or other products that can capture biometric information. The company says that it is starting with a smart glass product that measures blink rate and other variables that can predict if a truck driver is tired.
Making truck driving safer can lead to lower turnover and insurance rates for all involved. Currently, turnover for truck drivers is about 90 percent. The company has gained notoriety as a participant in Oklahoma University’s Sooner Launch Pad. It was also a finalist at SXSW’s pitch competition in the transportation category.
If truck drivers act in a negligent manner, those injured in collisions caused by that negligence could be entitled to compensation. It could help to pay for medical bills or make up for lost wages related to the accident. Negligent behavior could occur because a driver was inexperienced or was tired while operating the truck. An employer may also be liable if it knowing allowed a tired driver to be on the road or should have known a driver was fatigued.