What Are The Common Causes Of 18-Wheeler Trucking Accidents?

The most common causes of these tractor trailer accidents is driver inattention, driver fatigue, driver distraction, and driving a vehicle that has not been properly maintained.

What Are The Differences Between Larger 18-Wheeler Accidents Versus Passenger Vehicle Wrecks?

The term accident implies that there is a lesser degree of culpability, when 99.9% of crashes could have been prevented, if the tractor-trailer driver was driving prudently and safely and following all the rules and regulations that apply to tractor trailer drivers. Therefore, we prefer to refer to these incidents as crashes. The most obvious difference between tractor trailer crashes and passenger vehicle accidents is that with a tractor trailer, the truck driver is a professional driver and he is being paid to be on the road. He has different duties that he has to follow. However, because they spend so much time on the road, there is a lot of fatigue involved. Tractor trailers are large vehicles that, driven at the same speed, can cause much greater damage than a regular car or a regular passenger truck. The size of these vehicles often causes the damages in these cases to be catastrophic.

What Sort Of Investigation Is Involved In Wrecks Involving Larger Commercial Vehicles?

Typically, when you have crashes involving tractor trailers, the dispatch of the local police agencies will send an investigator who has more training and understanding the rules and the regulations that tractor trailer drivers and companies have to follow. It’s essential for the people who are involved in that tractor trailer crash to call 911 and have the local police agency get an investigator out there as soon as possible. If you are able, ask family, friends, or witnesses to take photographs and document what has happened after you’ve secured yourself and made yourself safe at the scene. That is critical.

Who Can Be Held Responsible For A Crash Involving A Commercial Vehicle?

The root cause of most of these crashes comes from the top down. It’s the trucking company that has required the driver to make a haul in an amount of time that wasn’t necessarily reasonable, but it makes more money for the company. Or, the company put a dangerous driver behind the wheel of a large tractor trailer without doing all the due diligence it should have to find out what that driver’s past driving history is. A lot of times, it is the drivers themselves. A lot of these drivers are forced to take toxicology tests after the crash and you will find that they are taking methamphetamines and other types of medication that they think will help them stay awake longer, so they can drive further and longer to make more money.

The trucking industry is all about making money. While normal citizens are just trying to get to a doctor’s appointment or get to work or school, these trucking companies are on the road making money. Those trucks have a different purpose for being on the road than anyone else. They are there only to make money.

For more information on Causes Of 18-Wheeler Trucking Accidents, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (888) 880-4300 today.