Truck Accidents

Driving near 18-wheelers and semi-trucks can be frightening. You do NOT want to have an accident with an 18-wheeler. Semis and rigs are much longer, higher, heavier, and wider than the average car, and a collision could be catastrophic. While lawsuits are often the best way to hold negligent truck drivers and defendants liable for…

Many truck driver accidents happen because drivers want to make their deliveries too quickly. To improve speed and efficiency, drivers may feel the need to cut corners. One way to cut corners is by speeding or running through red lights and stop signs. Another way to cut corners is to drive continually instead of taking…

Any time there’s a truck wreck it’s important to preserve as much evidence as you can following the wreck, and the reason is the trucking company has already been to the scene. They’ve already sent investigators and lawyers and accident reconstructionists to the scene to defend their case. One of the most critical pieces of…

Underride guards are devices that are attached to the backs and sides of large trucks. The purpose of these guards is to keep smaller vehicles from rolling underneath them. When smaller vehicles roll under a large truck, the results are usually catastrophic. These underride guards can save lives by preventing drivers from slipping underneath a…

On November 6th, a tractor-trailer traveling down I-40 crashed into multiple vehicles, including a patrol car. The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is investigating the wreck, which left two Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) contract employees dead, and injured a third contractor as well as a State Trooper. At this time, the truck driver is not…

The only good news in rear-end truck accident cases is that the person at fault is almost always the driver who struck your car or truck. Plain and simple, the driver behind you should have slowed down. The bad news is that being struck in the rear can cause a lot of damage – to…

Tulane University senior Margaret Maurer was struck and killed by a set of wheels that separated from an 18-wheeler on an interstate in Mississippi. During the tragic accident, the runaway wheels flew more than 450 meters, hitting Ms. Maurer as she was about to get back into her car. The investigation into the accident found…

There are certain types of trucks that require certain types of licenses. Any driver who wishes to operate a semi-truck, tractor trailer, bus, or any type of commercial truck or vehicle must have a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL). A valid CDL gives the driver the right to drive in all 50 states – though…

According to Trucks.com, the trucking industry is slowly learning to adjust to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) law effective December 2017 that requires truckers to use digital electronic logging devices (ELDs) to track the hours they drive. The FMCSA requires drivers to monitor their hours because driver fatigue is known to cause numerous…

There’s been a recent push to put teens and young adults—ages 18 to 21—on the interstate as tractor-trailer drivers. With a driver shortage across the country, many trucking industry representatives and politicians believe that loosening federal safety rules around the legal age for interstate trucking drivers can help relieve the problem. However, safety concerns about…

Tow-truck drivers perform a valuable service for stranded motorists, and they do it in all weather conditions, in all types of traffic, and on all kinds of roadways. They have one of the most dangerous jobs out there. Last year, a tow-truck driver in Michigan was killed when a city bus, which had requested assistance,…

Jackknife accidents with 18-wheelers are among the deadliest and the most frightening types of crashes. Trucks that jackknife may roll over. Oftentimes, the truck sprawl causes multi-vehicle accidents as cars do their best to avoid the truck or the cargo the truck spills on the roads. Some unlucky truck drivers crash into the cab or…

Trucking companies are constantly exploring options to make their industry safer, increase freight efficiency, and reduce fuel consumption. One of these options, although not fully autonomous, takes a step toward clearing a path for autonomous vehicles in the trucking industry. It’s called “platooning,” and it has its supporters and detractors. Platooning at a glance Think…

In a word, yes. Collisions with commercial trucks lead to some of the most complex legal claims there are. Even when it seems open-and-shut to you, the chances are good that the trucking company will put up a fight. So, if you want a fair shot at a just compensation package, you’re going to want…

Trucking accidents cause serious injuries and fatalities on the Tennessee roadways. While the operators of these vehicles are often blamed for the crashes they cause, trucking companies often have some responsibility as well. This especially applies to instances where negligent hiring practices or improper vehicle maintenance led to the crash. When victims of these truck…

Thousands of trucks move millions of pounds of goods across the country each day. While this cargo is necessary, it can also be dangerous or deadly, if not secured properly. Unsecured cargo can fall off trucks or suddenly shift, causing the truck to rollover or jackknife. When loading their vehicle, drivers must take care and…

As our country continuously seeks to meet our substantial energy needs, oil and gas companies constantly extract oil from the ground. Activities such as drilling and fracking require the use of numerous trucks to haul oil from the drilling site to the refinery. These companies then use large tanker trucks to transport gasoline to stations…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the federal agency in charge of large truck and bus safety in the United States. Each year, the FMCSA compiles a report of statistics called Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts. The 2014 edition includes excel spread sheets containing data on all of the truck and bus…

Large, commercial trucks can weigh several tons, and as the largest vehicles on the roadways, truck drivers owe a duty of care to operate these trucks in a safe manner. In order to be able to drive a commercial truck, an individual must go through training and a period of supervision before they can get…

The drivers of large commercial trucks owe a duty of care, as does every driver, to exercise caution when they are driving those massive trucks and to operate their vehicle in such a way that does not endanger the lives of those with others on the roadways. But truck accidents happen, and when they involve…

A passenger vehicle is driving along the highway when suddenly, up ahead traffic begins to slow down and they must apply their brakes quickly. Then the car behind them crashes into their back bumper forcing them to crash into the large commercial truck in front of them causing a catastrophic crash. There were fatalities in…