Item: Flaxman Law Group
Rating: 5
Author: Clara Barman

Truck Driver Error and Trucking Collisions

Published on: May 7, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

According to the truck industry, the majority of truck accidents in Homestead and other communities occur due to passenger car drivers. In fact, in many car and truck accidents, the car drivers blamed. Even though it’s true that truck drivers have extensive training and have to be carefully tested to keep and maintain their commercial licenses, truck drivers aren’t immune to human error.

In fact, there are many errors that truck drivers make that can lead to collisions:

1) Poor health choices.

Fatigued driving, drugged driving, and drunk driving involving truck drivers in Homestead and other communities can and does happen. Even though there are strict rules preventing truck drivers from engaging in dangerous behavior, it does not prevent drivers from making poor choices. Some drivers have sleep apnea or sleep disorders or other conditions that they fail to disclose. Some drivers drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Continue reading →

Technology and the Trucking Industry

Published on: March 31, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

The trucking industry uses more technology than ever before. Technology helps truckers avoid traffic collisions in Homestead and other cities and helps save money on fuel. There are many types of technology that truckers and truck carriers rely on, including:

1) GPS.

Ubiquitous in regular cars and trucks, GPS allows truck drivers and delivery drivers to find their destinations, even in unfamiliar areas. The technology also means less time spent looking at maps and more time focusing on the road.

Continue reading →

Getting Help Faster to Injured Truckers

Published on: March 5, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

When a truck driver is in trouble on the road – whether that trouble is a trucking collision in Hollywood or a stalled truck in Miami – fleet managers need to respond quickly. They also need to start to take the steps needed to protect the trucker, especially in the case of a traffic crash.

Fortunately, technology has made fleet managers’ jobs easier. Thanks to videos in trucks and in cabs, fleet managers are able to instantly download and access information about an accident or collision, helping them show what has caused a crash.

Continue reading →

Many Truckers Do Not Qualify for Workers’ Compensation in Hollywood and Florida After a Crash

Published on: March 3, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Workers in Florida who are injured on the job are protected by workers’ compensation in Hollywood or their communities. Employers are required by law to pay premiums on this type of insurance. After a job-related injury, this coverage is meant to ensure that workers are able to get benefits and compensation quickly while employers are protected against lawsuits.

One problem is that not all workers are protected by the insurance. Self-employed, freelance, temp, and contract workers are not covered by workers’ compensation coverage. Unfortunately, some workers with the most dangerous jobs fall into this category. Truck drivers, for example, who are at risk of traffic accidents, back injuries, and other job-related injuries, are often independent contractors and therefore not qualified to get workers’ compensation benefits if they are injured. Truckers who work as independent contractors also do not get other employee benefits and protections that full-time, traditional workers enjoy.

Continue reading →

Targeting Distracted Truckers

Published on: February 27, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Distracted drivers in Hollywood and Florida cause all kinds of traffic collisions, including pedestrian accidents, truck crashes, and car collisions, to name just a few. When drivers are daydreaming or are focusing on mobile devices or a conversation rather than the road they may not notice another car or a pedestrian in time to avoid a crash.

Big rigs and tractor trailers can be especially dangerous when driven by a distracted driver. These vehicles are larger and heavier, with a higher center of gravity. If a driver is distracted, 18 wheelers and commercial trucks can crush smaller cars in their way and can cause a multi-vehicle pileup. They can also rollover and cause catastrophic collisions.

Continue reading →

How Parking Spots could be Affecting Truck Accident Risks

Published on: February 10, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Many people consider factors such as speeding, fatigued driving, and distraction as causes of truck accidents in Hollywood and Florida. While it’s true that these issues cause many truck accidents each year, experts say that something as seemingly innocuous as lack of parking spots can lead to trucker fatalities and collisions.

When truck drivers need to stop on the road, they can do so at hotels or at truck stops. However, some drivers find themselves far from these types of accommodations. If they arrive early at a supplier’s property or delivery site, for example, they may find that parking areas are fenced off or inaccessible. This leads some truckers to stop in abandoned lots or in overcrowded rest stop areas, where collisions or problems can occur. Some truckers have found themselves robbed or attacked because they did not have a safe place to park. In other cases, truck drivers have found themselves in parking lot accidents due to lack of adequate parking.

Continue reading →

Simulators Help Truckers Avoid Crashes

Published on: February 5, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Truck drivers need to learn more than the average passenger car driver. There are federal rules that commercial drivers must obey and paperwork that must be completed by drivers. Since drivers also drive much heavier machinery and are responsible for some basic inspections and maintenance, they need to learn how to handle many types of tasks on the road. In addition, drivers need to learn a great deal about road safety so that they can avoid trucking collisions in Hollywood and other communities they visit.

The challenge with truck training has traditionally been that road training can only show truck drivers so much. If a driver is training in Hollywood or anywhere in South Florida, for example, it is difficult to teach the driver how to handle driving in snow or on ice – even if a driver will eventually be driving all over North America and needs to know how to deal with winter weather. Some scenarios – such as near-misses – are also difficult to recreate safely.

Continue reading →

Where Truck Drivers Can Turn for Help after a Serious Collision

Published on: February 3, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

When truck drivers sustain on-the-job injuries in Hollywood or their communities, the results are often serious. In a trucking collision, drivers can sustain head injuries, fractures, soft tissue injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other serious trauma.

Recovering from this type of serious injury takes time and effort. For some drivers, return to work becomes impossible. Others go through months of pain, rehabilitation, and treatment to reclaim their lives. During recovery, it is important for drivers who have been injured to get medical, legal, financial, and emotional support to increase their chances of recovery.

Continue reading →

Will a Study of Licenses and Truck Driver Training Help Reduce Trucking Collisions in Miami and Florida?

Published on: January 29, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Commercial truck drivers operating 18-wheelers, tankers, big rigs, and other commercial trucks must pass special commercial driver’s license training programs and tests. The tests and training are intended to make these motorists safer on the roads and aim to prevent collisions. In an effort to reduce trucking collisions in Miami and other cities, some safety advocates have been recommending changes be made to the commercial driver licensing programs to ensure that they provide the best measure of training to make drivers safe.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has also announced a study of the commercial license programs. Recently, the agency studies the use of simulators in the training and testing of commercial drivers. The FMCSA compared four types of training, including CDL-focused training (which just focuses on giving drivers enough information to pass the road test), informal training (which is not structured and not intended for certification), conventional training (which involves 44 hours of road training and 104 hours of training the classroom) and simulator training (which involves having at least 60% of road training performed on a simulator). Study results showed that simulator training and conventional training resulted in significantly higher test scores when drivers had to actually pass their licensing tests.

Continue reading →

Truckers From Mexico May Soon be Approved to Drive on American Roads

Published on: January 27, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

The Department of Transportation recently announced that soon trucking companies in Mexico will be able to seek authority to conduct cross-border and long-haul operations in the United States. Many assumed that truck drivers from Mexico would be allowed into the country after 1995 as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but concerns about safety have limited operations for Mexican carriers in this country. Will the move create more truck accidents in Miami and other communities or have no impact on safety?

Opposition to the New Plan

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the Teamsters, and other groups oppose the move, saying that safety concerns remain. There are also concerns that allowing the companies into the United States could hurt the domestic job market.

Continue reading →