2 Answers

Do American Trucks not pull triaxle trailers yet are they still running on twins ?

There is no exact way of knowing.

Data kept by the Department of Transportation only reflects reported accidents. In the State of Ohio, the Ohio Sate Highway Patrol loves to write up accident reports involving Semis. That is bacuse of the tickets they get to write and the fines that get imposed. However, in Pennsylvania, unless absolutely necessary, as in cases of death, injury or great property damage, their State Police avoid wrting up such reports because of how cumbersome the reports are.

In addition, there are many accidents that never get reported as they just involve minor property damage, and the trucker and other party simply exchange information.  While the trucking firms are required to log these, and they are subject to review by the DOT, many small carriers do not log them.

Also, caution should be exercised when usuing any data obtained. For example, if this information is being assembled so to show some great menance on the roadways, one should not include accidents where a truck's tire blew out, and trhe driver managed to keep it under control, and pull it over safely off the road, but ends up slightly scraping the guardrail in doing so. In PA, ther ewould be no report. In Ohio, since the truck is disabled (though not because if an accident), and since there is property damage (to the guardrail), a passing State Patrolman would write up a report and cite the driver, this counting it as "an accident'. There are problems associated with big rigs in that they can cause more damage bvecause they are simply bigger behicles. But almost all major carriers have well managed risk management programs, for the safety of their drivers, the public, the property the haul, the property of others and the compaqny's bottom line profitability. The problem is more with the smaller Mon&Pop type truckers who self contract and fall off the DOT radar. They often piggyback (take on a second load without the knowledge of the comapny they contracted originally with to haul for) which may overload them.

Just some insight.

Good luck