The Trucking Industry Can Have a Disturbing Darkside

Trucking is a demanding job by default. Companies have strict shipping deadlines, and drivers need serious focus and determination to meet the demands of their bosses. However, serious road safety issues can occur from drivers that are stretching themselves too thin to meet these deadlines. Trucker fatigue contributes to many serious road accidents.A recent USA Today article outlines the severe struggle that many truckers face. In Los Angeles, 9 truckers were awarded $8.4 million after their employer had them falsify driving logs to comply with federal regulations after driving up to 19 hours a day. This causes safety issues for the other drivers on the road, increasing the likelihood for a regular driver to be hit by a commercial truck. This is terrible, but federal regulations do exist to protect drivers from unsafe trucking practices that lead to driver fatigue.

Ways the Law Protects Drivers from Fatigued Truckers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, says that truckers are not allowed to drive for more than 11 hours per 14-hour period, after which you need 10 hours off. Truckers are also not allowed to work more than 60 hours in 7 days, and more than 70 hours in eight days. There are also weight limits and many other regulations that exist to ensure that drivers are alert and trucks are not excessively dangerous to other drivers.Experienced truck accident attorney Mike Love used to own a trucking business, and can review your car accident case to help identify if breaches in trucking laws could have caused the accident. There are safety regulations for the trucks, truck drivers, and trucking companies that are shipping the goods.Trucking companies are competitive and often encourage truckers to work longer than is permissible by federal law, or offer trucks and equipment that are not up to regulatory standards to cut costs. This causes potential for serious injuries for truck drivers and other drivers on the road. If you have been injured in a truck accident or mistreated by an employer, a Lufkin personal injury attorney can help you find out if laws were broken, and gain coverage for the victims of negligence. Your insurance company or the guilty party in a truck accident will likely try to give you as little as possible for coverage. An attorney has a team of professionals that can strengthen your case using insider industry knowledge. 

How the Government Prevents Truck Accidents Caused by Poor Tire Maintenance

If you read our blog last week, you learned about how Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) load regulations prevent truck accidents. There are many other FMCSA regulations that keep us safe. For example, FMCSA regulations require commercial carriers to use safe equipment. Today we are going to focus on the importance of maintenance and using safe tires. We are also going to briefly describe types of truck accidents caused by poor tire maintenance. Keep in mind, that while we are discussing commercial trucks, the following regulations also apply to other commercial vehicles.Equipment on commercial trucks experience wear and tear, especially tires. FMCSA regulation § 393.75 requires that commercial trucks must never operate on tires that meet the following criteria.

• Trucks cannot operate on tires that have ply or belt material exposed (either through the sidewall or tread). This includes cuts large enough to expose ply or belt material.
• Tires with tread or sidewall separation are not safe for use. To put this into layman’s terms, tires experiencing tread or sidewall separation are starting to fall apart.
• Trucks cannot operate on flat tires. In addition, trucks cannot use tires with audible leaks.
• Tread depth on tires must meet certain standards. Steering tires (located in the front) must have a minimum tread depth of 4/32 of an inch. Other wheels located on trucks must have a minimum tread depth of 2/32 of an inch.
• Trucks must use tires that can operate within the weight limit listed on the sidewall. There are rare exceptions to this rule.
• Trucks cannot operate with cold tire inflation pressures less than what is specified on the sidewall for specific loads.

Truck tires can break down due to poor maintenance practices. For example, regular inspections should catch tires with poor tread depth or deep cuts that expose the sidewall or tread. If commercial carriers allow unsafe tires to be used, other motorists pay the price.

What You Should Know About Truck Accidents and Poor Tire Maintenance

There are several types of accidents that can occur when truckers and commercial carriers neglect maintenance and operate on unsafe tires.Blowout accidents: Blowout accidents occur when tires rapidly and explosively lose pressure. When blowouts occur, truckers can lose control of their vehicles. Trucks can also roll over after experiencing tire blowouts. When tires are incorrectly installed (such as installing tires that cannot handle specific weight loads) or have poor tread depth, blowout accidents can occur. For the most part, blowout accidents are preventable with routine maintenance.Weather-related accidents: The same rules for tires that apply to passenger vehicles also apply to commercial trucks. Trucks with shallow tread depth cannot safely operate in severe weather or on slick roads. Tread depth helps truck tires grip icy or wet roads so truckers do not lose control.Rear-end accidents: Trucks operating on poor tires may require more room to brake and avoid collisions. This is especially true during adverse weather conditions.Although the FMCSA has stipulated tire use and maintenance rules, many commercial carriers fail to keep tires on their trucks maintained. Some commercial carriers do not want to replace tires or hire people to perform maintenance.We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are many other pieces of equipment on trucks that require routine maintenance. Much like tires, commercial carriers may neglect to maintain these pieces of equipment. Expect future blog updates discussing how our attorneys can determine when truck accidents have been caused by poor maintenance practices.The Texas truck accident attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC will hold negligent commercial carriers accountable for crashes.