Just after midnight, early on Tuesday morning, at least two semi tractor trailer trucks were involved in a crash beneath the underpass at Boggy Creek Road along southbound Ronald Regan Turnpike in Kissimmee, Osceola County, damaging the overpass.  One semi was loaded with food from Target, which was completely destroyed by the fire, as driven by Carlos Allois-Banos, age 23.  Mr. Allois-Banos crashed into the back of another semi, driven by 35 year old Luis Navarro, which had stopped to repair a flat tired and was trying to re-enter the roadway.

These two truck drivers were careless in how they operated their vehicles, causing thousands of dollars in damage.  A random search of Google reveals that “in order to operate in interstate commerce, a driver must be at least 21 years of age, pass a physical examination every 2 years and submit to testing for drug and alcohol use. Drivers of all trucks with gross-weight ratings of more than 26,000 pounds and drivers of vehicles carrying any quantity of hazardous materials that are required to display warning signs must obtain a “Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)” by passing tests of their knowledge of safety regulations and their ability to drive the large trucks. Drug and alcohol convictions or combinations of various serious driving violations can draw temporary or even permanent loss of driving privileges.”  The commerical drivers license requirements of the Federal Government are listed here.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, in 2007, 9,027,624 large trucks were on our roadways which resulted in 4,808 fatalities.  Over the past 20 years (from 1987 to 2007) there has been a 58-percent increase in registered large trucks and a 70-percent increase in miles traveled by large trucks.  Over the past 10 years (from 1997 to 2007) there has been a 27-percent increase in registered large trucks and a 19-percent increase in miles traveled by large trucks.

The state will look to the truck driver’s insurance to cover the cost of the damages; however, if the truck’s insurance company cannot cover the cost, the bridge is also insured.  Thankfully the only damage was to he bridge and the contents of the trucks, both drivers are alive, which is often not the case in trucking accidents.