​​The weight of cement mixer trucks, when fully loaded, may exceed 60,000 pounds. Maneuvering this massive vehicle requires training and skill, as well as regular maintenance inspections to ensure that the equipment is secured and working. If a driver or a trucking company was aware or should have been aware of a problem that was not addressed and eventually caused an accident, they may be held liable for the resulting harm.

Rolling over is not uncommon for cement trucks. The uneven weight distribution can cause a cement truck to rollover, when it is traveling at just 5 mph, while the driver is making a 90-degree turn. Normally this would sound like the truck driver could just make turns slower, but with cement that is not the case. The drivers are usually in a rush to reach their destination, with the cement wet. Cement can dry inside of the truck, which at all costs, the driver will avoid this and that raises the risk the cement truck poses on the roads.

Cement mixers carry liquid concrete, which shifts during turns and other driving maneuvers. Truck drivers must receive training in how to operate the vehicle when partially loaded, fully loaded, or empty. Drivers are expected to calculate the amount of water necessary to make slump, also known as concrete mixture. Delivering this mixture is a part of a driver’s duties, but often these drivers are rushing to meet their delivery deadlines. When a cement truck driver makes poor driving decisions, such as speeding or driving distractedly, their conduct may lead to catastrophic harm.

The most common type of cement truck accidents involves collisions and rollovers. Due to the high center of gravity with this type of truck, they are thrown off balance when making sharp turns and can easily flip over. Cement trucks are difficult to maneuver, which means the truck driver can fail to see obstacles out of their direct line-of-vision and can drift out of the lane into oncoming traffic. The size and weight of the truck makes it difficult for the cement truck driver to quickly maneuver back into their lane. A collision with a cement truck can result in critical injuries or even death and drivers that fail to obey traffic laws place themselves and those around them in danger, when traveling near a cement truck. Some of the most common causes of cement truck accidents include:

• Poor Vision Ability – Cement trucks are like other large trucks on the roadway, which means that the driver has blind spots. The vehicle that is in one of these blind spots cannot be seen by the cement truck driver and that creates a hazard. When a vehicle or construction workers are directly behind the cement truck, the driver is unable to see the vehicle or person that is in the driver’s blind spot. This places them at a risk of the cement truck backing over the person or colliding with the vehicle behind them.
• Cement Trucks are Unstable – The design, with the high center of gravity and the weight of the wet cement, makes the cement truck unstable. The mechanical parts to load and unload the wet cement can also pose a danger, if there is a mechanical failure or malfunction. This can be caused by several factors; the operator of the truck can be inexperienced, there can be a defective design or if the operator is intoxicated while operating the cement truck. We hope you enjoyed this educational resource.