Truck Accidents

Truck regulations are strict regarding the use of alcohol before or during a trucking operation. In fact, a truck driver is not allowed to use alcohol within 4 hours of being in control of a commercial vehicle. Additionally, a driver must be tested for alcohol use if he or she caused a truck accident where the car sustains enough damage that results in a towing.

This alcohol test must be taken as soon as practicable after the crash. If a truck carrier does not test their driver for alcohol when he or she causes a truck accident that results in towing of the car, this can be used as evidence that the carrier was covering up the use of alcohol. An alcohol test must be administered within two hours of a truck accident. If this does not happen, a motor carrier must state in Court why the test was not conducted within two hours. All truck drivers are legally obligated to take alcohol tests when asked by their motor carrier.

Federal regulations dictated that a driver can only drive 11 hours before he or she must be given 10 consecutive hours off-duty. Truck drivers may not drive if they have been on duty driving or not driving for more than 14 straight hours. Truck drivers must also take a 30-minute break for every 8 hours they drive. While broken regulations can result in fines or worse for a trucking company, truck drivers have historically been proven to be pressured to work over their allotted time. This can lead to overworked truck drivers who are drowsy while behind the wheel.

Truck accidents are just like other motor vehicle accidents with one exception: the vehicle damage caused by a truck accident is much more severe. Commercial trucks cannot make the same driving maneuvers that smaller vehicles can. If a truck driver is trying to rush through a yellow light, the driver will have a harder time slowing down or stopping for another vehicle in the case of an emergency. If a commercial truck runs a red light the possibility of it T-boning another car is highly likely since a truck cannot stop as quickly as a smaller vehicle. Regardless of the type of truck accident the outcome of an intersection accident involving a truck is usually catastrophic.

Accidents involving tractor trailers should be carefully handled by attorneys with the specialized skills and experience to protect you from trucking companies and their resources. Those companies will fight to protect their own business interests and will deploy investigators to a crash site immediately in order to build a case that the accident was not caused by the truck driver.

The sooner you contact the experienced truck accident attorneys at Childers and Associates, the sooner we can act to secure the evidence before it has been lost or damaged. Prompt investigation of the crash is essential to successfully representing you in a tractor-trailer accident. Swift action by our investigators can help ensure evidence vital to your case like skid marks, impact marks, driver’s logs, alcohol and drug testing results, and the preservation of the truck itself so it is not lost.