Stockton Truck Accident Lawyer

Who Can Be Held Liable in Truck Accidents?

Although reckless driving is the leading cause of most truck accidents, many other reasons can also be established as causes. These include the following:

Driver Negligence

Drivers can make critical driving errors due to pressure from unrealistic shipping schedules due to carriers trying to increase profit. Some of the most common acts of negligence include:

• Distractions that take the driver’s attention away from the road
• Truck drivers exceed the maximum time behind the wheel without adequate rest as regulated by FMCSA. Exhaustion can affect a driver’s ability to concentrate or make sound decisions
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can lead to cognitive impairment, poor judgment, and reduced muscle control and coordination
• Truck drivers may speed to deliver a load more rapidly due to economic pressure
• Failure to obey traffic laws (failure to yield or stop)
• Failure to check blind spots

It is expected of truck drivers to drive their trucks following all the rules, regulations, and restrictions that guide the industry, failure to which endangers the lives of everyone on the roads.

Trucking Companies

Trucking companies are responsible for ensuring safety when transporting goods across the states. However, negligence by some of them has caused many accidents. Some safety guidelines include:

• Hiring experienced truck drivers
• Ensuring truck drivers work within the careful hours-of-service restrictions and not pushing them to work longer than is legally allowed
• Providing truck drivers/maintainers with quality tools and parts needed to maintain the trucks in safe working order
• Implementing regular scheduled truck inspections and maintenance
• Maintaining a fleet of safe, roadworthy trucks
• Implementing safe loading practices and ensuring those practices are followed to the letter.

The trucking company that sends out trucks on our roads bears a considerable share of the burden regarding truck accident liability. As such, they can also be named in your personal injury litigation and held accountable for their degree of fault.

Truck Manufacturers

Truck manufacturers are responsible for building and designing safe trucks that integrate well-designed parts manufactured without flaws. Suppose the manufacturer of the vehicle or vehicle parts negligently releases a faulty part into the market, for example, a defective braking system. In that case, they can be held responsible for a truck accident due to a malfunctioning brake system.