Driving an oilfield truck in Oklahoma can be deadly, reports member station KGOU. In the past eight years, 36 people in the state have died in crashes involving trucks hauling oilfield wastewater and equipment. According to recent data, seven percent of all truck companies licensed for oil-field work in Oklahoma have been involved in fatal accidents.
Reasons for the crashes include bad brakes, trucks thousands of pounds overweight, and failure to test drivers for drugs. The crashes and deaths have happened all across Oklahoma. Most of them occurred on rural state and county roads.
Seven of the 24 Oklahoma companies involved in those deadly crashes have received conditional ratings from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That’s the lowest rating a company can have and still be in operation. Oklahoma is ranked second in fatal oil and gas industry injuries.