It is clearly stated that both drivers were killed.
And both vehicles burned.
Cellphone might be destroyed.
Driver fatigue is another likely factor;truck drivers are routinely pushed to spend too many hours behind the wheel.There are tricks used to count time the driver is awake but not driving as rest ,which such time isn’t rest if spent at other tasks.New computerized logs are cutting down on this but I still know of truck drivers working a 12 hour day doing terminal work and then climbing into the truck cab for a 600 mile run across three states to deliver the next morning.All of which their company dispatch is fully aware of;companies and dispatchers have been pushing drivers to “get the freight there ,or we will find someone who can” or “please,do this run because the customer really needs it” ,etc. for as long as there has been trucking.Drivers often find,or feel, themselves pressured to stay behind the wheel long after “tired”,often until just exhausted. Being paid only for miles ,not time, aggravates the problems.
See that sign on the truck”drivers:earn 40 cents a mile” ?
That means driving one hundred miles (and mileage determined by dispatch maps,not the odometer) for $40.Figure in loading and unloading time,waiting one’s turn at the dock, and traffic tie-ups all use time.If a driver manages 500 miles of paid mileage a day then he will make $50,000 a year.And will likely spend closer to 70,not 40 hours each week in the truck.
The cure is higher pay,stricter COMPANY compliance with driving rules, and that means higher prices for everything.From years of observation I believe that actual universal compliance with the intent of the DOT driver restriction would mean many more drivers to move the same goods.Adding lots of low-paid Mexican or recent immigrants from anywhere drivers who can’t speak English or read the road signs isn’t a good solution,though it seems popular with trucking companies.
Even if the cellphone is destroyed, the carrier will have a record if the phone was in use at that time.