Truck Accident Attorney

If you have ever been in a car accident, you know how frightening and difficult it can be to deal with the physical and financial aftermath. When an accident involves a truck or other commercial vehicle, the impact, and the complexity of the legal issues involved, can be even greater.

Because trucks and commercial vehicles are so much larger than passenger vehicles, and because their drivers are often transporting heavy loads long distances, there are many laws and regulations they have to follow to keep the roads safe for others on the highway.

Failure to follow any of those regulations can mean the driver or company is at fault in a truck-related accident.

Commercial vehicle regulations are very detailed, and cover everything from the condition of the truck to the condition of the driver. There are regulations governing the weight of the vehicle, the weight of the load, visibility and lighting, and the condition of the brakes and safety equipment.

Other regulations focus on the driver. Drivers are required to keep a daily log, and to get a certain amount of sleep so fatigue doesn’t increase the risk of an accident.

The regulations also get updated as needed; for example, in response to the high number of deaths that occurred when lower riding automobiles weren’t able to see trucks in enough time to avoid a rear-end or side collisions, regulations were instituted to require big rigs to use reflective tape and other measures to increase visibility.