Argument79

It seems wise for the trucking companies to raise their drivers’ pay and limit the overall numbers of hours their drivers drive in order to reduce their accident rate. However, the author does not provide sufficient support to his conclusion.

Quoting the evidence of the Longhaul trucking company, the author try to present that by following these policies of Longhaul, one trucking company can easily reduce its accident rate, which need further consideration. For one thing, we have got no signal that after these policies being granted, the accident rate of the Longhaul trucking company did declined. What the author provides is that the number of accidents in the next year is half of the year before. But as we all know, the accident number and the accident rate is totally different concepts. With the total miles of driving declined, it is very likely to have a higher accident rate than before even though the number of accident declined too. For another thing, there is no evidence that these policies do have something to do with the reduced number of accidents. Are these things cited in the article all the company has done to improve the accident condition? Are there any Global factors such as an economical crisis which make the trucking market considerably shrink so that the total number of truck-driving reduced as well as the total accidents number? To establish a relationship between the phenomenon and the changes, the author should show a full analysis.

The survey about the highest-paid drivers who has least possibility to have an accident does not lend any support to the conclusion too. To arrive at the final conclusion, it is necessary that it is the highest-pay which makes the least possibility of accident, which is, however, obviously not the case. Truck accident is something can change one’s life markedly–for example, making one dies. In another word, driving carefully is something very relative to the driver herself/himself, it is impossible for a driver to not drive carefully risking losing her/his life just because of low salary. When is driving, whether the driver is careful depends usually on an instinct skill other than fully considered conduct. So, the correct explanation should be it is because their careful driving that those drivers get the highest-pay, which ironically undermine the author’s reasoning.

Reducing accident rate is one of the most important things of a trucking company, it is direct relative to the total cost of a trucking company and consequently relative to the final profit. To reduce their accident rate, the author should make further consideration. For example, among the policies the Longhaul trucking company applied, there was an item that the company increased its training standards. Driving is some kind of skill, it can not be improved easily by emotion but through long-term training. This policy may be the core-policy which contributes to the low accident number very much. However, the author pays no attention to this element.

In summary, to make suggestion for reducing accident rate, the author should provide some practical method with fully proofs of their feasibility. As far as this article is concern, I can not agree with the author merely based on his viewpoint.