PITTSBURGH -- Target 11 investigators Rick Earle spent 4 months investigating accidents caused by speeding trucks to find out what is causing a five-year spike and what is being done to stop it.

Jude and Dave Baker’s oldest daughter Nancy was killed when a speeding tractor-trailer rolled over her stopped SUV on Route 22 in Murrysville last year.

Murrysville Police sergeant remembered the fiery crash well and said flames shot 40 to 50 feet into the air.

Using surveillance video from a restaurant camera, Tappe calculated the distance and time to figure out the truck’s speed.

Tappe said, “We got him going 49.35 miles-per-hour in a construction zone, in an active construction zone posted 35 miles per hour.”

The driver, Thomas Mcelhoes, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and speeding in that accident.

Tappe said the Mcelhoes was looking at his side view mirrors and by the time he looked back to the road it was too late to avoid Baker’s car and two others.

Last year there were 725 accidents involving speeding semis in Pennsylvania and 35 people were killed. That is the highest number of fatalities in the past 5 years.

And Nearly 10,000 Pennsylvania commercial drivers’ license holders were cited for speeding.

What's behind this need for speed?

A large study done by theFederal Motor Carriers Safety Administration found pressure from trucking companies was one of the top factors behind the increase in speeding trucks. A former truck told Earle she’s felt that pressure.

Sue Breidenbach from Kilbuck quit driving for a company because she claimed she would have to speed to get her route done in the allotted time.

The company denies her allegation, but other truck drivers support her claim.

Truck driver Mike Mansfield said, "Under the gun. Not enough time to breathe. There is really no time for safety actually."

Breidenbach said, “What they're asking me to do I’m jeopardizing everybody's life around me. I mean it's not safe.”

Breidenbach also told Earle she had to falsify her log book to stay legal because she wasn't going fast enough.

One solution to the problem might be the use of GPS.

Jeff Mercadante from Pitt Ohio Express said his company installed GPS in all its cabs to monitor speed.

“If one of our vehicles is traveling over that excess speed, I get an email alert instantaneously across my computer, so then we can pull up the information,” Mercadante said.

Ron Uriah also works at Pitt Ohio Express said if one of its drivers is convicted going 15-miles or more over the speed limit they’re fired.

Pennsylvania State Police are also cracking down on speeding trucks by performing daily truck inspections.

The driver who killed Nancy Baker served 5-months in jail and lost his commercial drivers license for good.