Drivers of commercial vehicles are required to take special care on the roadways to protect themselves as well as other vehicles on the road. When a driver of a commercial truck does not follow safety rules and injuries occur, that driver and the company for which he/she works is responsible for that injury.
Large trucks are involved in thousands of crashes that kill or cause serious injury to people every year. If you have been involved in a wreck with a commercial truck where you were in no way at fault, there is a good chance you are entitled to compensation.
There are many factors that cause accidents and fatal crashes on our roadways and highways. Here is what you need to know.
Truck Drivers have Standards and Regulations They Must Follow
The trucking industry is very heavily regulated in order to protect other drivers on the road. Tractor trailer drivers must follow special precautions and rules when on the roadways in order to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.
Even due to these heavily regulated standards, large trucks are involved in thousands of crashes that kill or cause serious injury to people every year. If these standards were not followed, and as a result, another driver is injured, the truck driver or the trucking company is responsible for any injuries that are caused.
5 Rules & Regulation Standards of Commercial Vehicles
1. Truck drivers are only allowed to drive a certain number of hours per day.
Tired truck drivers are a major cause of harmful and sometimes deadly truck crashes. Trucking companies must comply with the standard hours set to regulate driver safety. If a driver is permitted or forced to drive more than the regulated hours due to delivery deadlines and a crash occurs, the driver and trucking company can be held responsible.
2. Truck drivers are required to use “extreme caution” or stop driving during bad weather.
Bad or extreme weather can occur during any point of a truck driver’s route. The standards are set that the driver must slow down or stop driving in order to avoid losing control and crashing the vehicle. If a truck driver continues to operate in extreme weather such as heavy fog, snow storms, rain storms etc. without adjusting their driving speed and having caused injury, the truck driver and the trucking company can be held responsible.
3. Trucking companies are required to maintain and repair their trucks.
Defective brakes and tires and inadequate lighting are leading causes of major accidents involving trucks. Truck drivers and trucking companies are required to repair mechanical defects and maintain safe vehicles under the regulatory standards. If these vehicle standards are ignored and trucks are not maintained they add to the chances of a serious accident occurring.
4. Cargo in or on a truck must be properly secured.
Cargo in or on a truck must be secured following the regulation standards set in order to ensure that trucks are safe from tipping or from spilling their cargo. Trucking companies that allow their trucks to go out on the road without correctly securing or balancing the load create a dangerous condition for drivers and can be held responsible for any injury their truck or cargo causes.
5. Truck drivers must park their trucks and trailers in safe designated areas.
Truck drivers who park their trucks and trailers in the path of moving traffic can cause deadly crashes. The standards require that a trucker must place warning triangles or a flagger to alert drivers who might come upon the unexpected obstacle in their path.
Standards and regulations for truck drivers are set up to establish safe driving conditions for everyone on the roads. Many truckers are professional drivers who follow these standards but some are irresponsible and inexperienced. Truckers must adhere to these standards and trucking companies must be selective in hiring drivers with a great driving record and committed to the professional standards and responsibility of driving these large vehicles.
Truck incidents can happen at any time whether they are on the highway or in residential areas. When you believe that you are the victim of a truck crash that was in no way your fault, it is best to seek legal representation.
I like how you mentioned that truck drivers and companies are required to repair and maintain safe vehicles under regulatory standards. My wife and I were driving on the highway recently and we were worried to hear a strange sound coming out of a truck. Hopefully, that truck was repaired and fixed.
I really like that you talked about only allowing drivers to drive a certain number of hours each day so that they stay safe. My partner and I are thinking about getting a few commercial trucks for our company. We need to get something used and then fix it up in order to save money.