Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Commercial trucks and 18-wheelers are, by their very weight and size, more dangerous than passenger vehicles on our roads. It’s one reason why federal rules are very strict about these larger vehicles. Motor carriers and truck drivers must obey the laws and rules for driving and maintaining large trucks in order to help prevent car and truck accidents in Hollywood and other communities.
Unfortunately, some motor carriers and drivers are lax when it comes to safety inspections and other laws that are in place to protect you. The United States Department of Transportation reports that about 500 000 truck accidents occur across the U.S. each year. There is some dispute about how many defective trucks and illegal trucks on the roads are contributing to these collisions, but one thing is clear: reducing the number of illegal and defective trucks on the roads could help prevent some traffic collisions in Hollywood and across the country each year.
There are many types of illegal and defective trucks on the roads which can contribute to truck and car accidents in Hollywood and other communities:
•Trucks that exceed weight limits. Federal laws clearly limit the total weight of trucks and there are weight scales in place to ensure that commercial vehicles do not exceed these limits. However, some motor carriers and drivers purposely falsify cargo documents and avoid weight scales by taking back roads in order to exceed weight limits.
•Trucks that are transporting illegal cargo or illegally stored cargo. Cargo transported by commercial vehicles must be correctly recorded and safely secured. There are special rules for dangerous or hazardous cargo. In some cases, however, motor carriers or drivers transport illegal cargo or transport dangerous cargo without proper precautions. This is not only dangerous, but it can lead to disastrous collisions.
•Trucks that are not correctly maintained. Motor carriers sometimes do not take proper care to correctly maintain trucks, which can lead to tire blowouts, brake failure, and other problems. In some cases, investigative journalists have found that unsafe trucks are shuffled from state to state to avoid the costs of needed repairs.
•Trucks with defective brakes, underride guards, or other components. When a truck has defective brakes or other components, it is expected that these dangerous parts are replaced and trucks are fixed. Unfortunately, some motor carriers and drivers choose to drive vehicles that are not road-safe.
•Trucks without proper licensing. Trucks must be properly registered for Florida or for interstate trucking, but in some cases not all the paperwork is filed correctly. In some cases, if these trucks are in an accident it is difficult for injured survivors to seek justice because not all the information about the truck is available.
•Trucks without legal drivers. Drivers of commercial trucks are expected to have the right class of licensing, an active license, and are expected to be screened for the job. When unsafe drivers are allowed behind the wheel, dangerous collisions are a common result.
The attorneys at the law firm of Flaxman Law Group are available to assist truck accident survivors get legal advice and justice after their accident. Those who have been injured in Florida through no fault of their own can contact Flaxman Law Group for a free accident consultation.