While some truck companies and carriers have a good reputation for safety and take steps to protect their drivers and other motorists on the road, others are not so conscientious. Unfortunately, some of the unsafe tactics used by a small number of trucking companies in Florida and Fort Lauderdale result in serious trucking collisions and car crashes each year. According to safety experts, there are a few practices that trucking companies use that can be especially unsafe:
Fly-By-Night Carriers
According to the Truck Safety Coalition and other groups, some truck carriers re-register with a new name with the Department of Transportation to avoid violations, charges, and safety rules. Essentially, the companies will violate safety rules and then change their company name and re-open as a new company to avoid facing the consequences. These truck companies can be extremely unsafe because they know the legal loopholes that help them avoid liability while continuing to avoid basic safety procedures. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has started a crackdown on carriers who change names and corporate structure to avoid the law, but these companies can be hard to spot – especially if they change addresses as well as names.
Shuffling Trucks
Investigations of some carriers – including some moving truck rental companies – have shown that companies will move trucks to another state rather than address safety problems or maintenance problems. A person renting a truck or driving beside a truck in a new state will generally have no idea that the truck has been found to be unsafe before.
Lack of Safety Technology
According to the American Trucking Association, only about 10% of commercial trucks on America’s roads have active safety technology in place. This is despite the fact that new technology is being developed all the time to prevent trucking collisions. Technology such as in-cab cameras to fight fatigued driving in Fort Lauderdale and other communities can help save lives. Some technology, such as sensors that can detect a vehicle in front of the truck and apply the brakes if a collision is imminent, have already been shown to be very effective. While there is a range of technology in a variety of price points, however, some truck companies choose not to use the technology to reduce the risk of accidents.
Finger Pointing
According to the Truck Safety Coalition and other groups, truck companies and industry representatives often play a blame game, arguing that most truck collisions are caused by passenger car drivers. The Truck Safety Coalition and other groups note that this is not always true. Some groups also note that the rate of fatal trucking collisions increased 18% between 2009 and 2012, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration while the number of fatal car accidents declined in the same time frame, which at least suggests that passenger car drivers cannot take all the blame.
If you or a loved one have been in a trucking accident, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free case review. Our team of attorneys can help you understand whether you have a personal injury claim or other options for seeking compensation.