Truck driver officially the deadliest occupation in Oklahoma

Driving a heavy truck or a tractor-trailer rig is the deadliest occupation in Oklahoma according to new figures released b the Oklahoma Department of Labor.

The 2012 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program says 21 truck drivers died on the job in 2012.

That accounted for the highest total of any occupation; in all, 94 people died on the job that year.

ODOL says 55 percent of the fatalities were travel-related.

Ninety-five percent of those who died on the job were men.

The number of work-related fatalities jumped from 86 the prior year.

Truckers who spoke to KRMG on the topic expressed little surprise about the finding.

Most didn't point the finger at other drivers; they said it's usually a combination of mistakes on the part of two or more drivers that leads to accidents.

Still, they often related stories of people who cut in front of them, not realizing how much distance is required to bring a large truck to a stop.

The other main issue is people driving in the truckers' "blind spots," where they can't be seen directly or in the truck's rearview mirrors.