Tennessee Commercial Trucking Attorney Discusses Motor Vehicle Accidents Involving Big Rigs

It goes without saying that commercial trucks are big, powerful, and potentially dangerous motor vehicles.  These massive machines are tasked with transporting thousands of pounds of cargo across the country sometimes.  They must navigate the same roadways and the same traffic patterns that the rest of us, in our comparatively small sedans, SUVS, vans, or pickups trucks, must also use.  At times, stretches of the roadway are difficult for even the most petite of cars to get around—let alone a massive commercial truck.

As amazing as the job these commercial trucks do and the way they do it, their sheer power and size are major concerns.  When there is a Tennessee commercial truck accident, the unfortunate outcome is generally for the other driver involved in the crash.  All too often this results in the wrongful death of that driver.

That is because the drivers of commercial trucks are in their preverbal ivory tower atop of the big rig; they are more or less protected from most harm behind steel and about the force of the impact at street level.  Whereas all motor vehicle operators are much closer to the street level and in the way of all that energy and momentum which must be diffused.

This may lead to commercial truck drivers, at times, to feel protected and become more aggressive.  For commercial truck drivers, time is money; the faster they can haul their cargo to its drop location, the more money and satisfaction their customer gets to possibly award future jobs.

Hence there are some common types of accidents caused by Tennessee commercial trucks which may give liability to their operator and their business.  Some of these accidents include:

• Overweight loads (the more towed, the more earned);
• Oversized loads (failing to take proper precautions or getting permits with bigger cargo);
• Driver fatigue (less sleep means more driving which means faster service and more money);
• Jackknife or fishtail accidents (speed could be a factor, but so could poor training and failure to observe weather conditions);
• Underride accidents (caused by aggressive or reckless driving);
• Accidents caused by speed (either in excess of the speed limit or excessive for the weather);
• Brake or other safety failures;
• Equipment failures like tires, secured cargo doors;
• Negligently hired drivers;
• Negligently trained drivers; and
• Distracted driving.

Our experienced Tennessee commercial truck accident attorneys have handled cases with these causes or similar causes.  As we recently discussed, causes of the accident may not always been what you see in front of you.  Violations of state and federal law, particularly the extensive federal trucking guidelines, may provide for liability of an operator.  Roadway designs, approved for trucks, may still be deficient and dangerous to handle these big rigs.  In fact, sometimes drivers knowingly violate restrictions as to size and weight limits on roads just to save time.  Devices such as “black boxes,” truck diaries or logs, and even E-Z pass records can all demonstrate violations of the trucking guidelines, speeding, or recklessness leading up to an accident.

Here at Bailey and Greer, PLLC our Tennessee commercial truck accident attorneys understand how to effectively pursue your claims.  Our legal team has a proven track record of compassionately representing our clients injured in car accidents which is included in our testimonials page.  Please contact us today to receive your free case evaluation by dialing 901-680-9777.  Remember, you only have one year from the date of the accident to commence your action to recover compensation.