Truck accidents are often terrifying because tractor-trailers are the largest, most powerful vehicles on the road. Therefore, collisions involving commercial trucks can cause significant damage to people and other vehicles.
Standard of Care for Trucking Companies in Denton
To prove liability for a commercial vehicle accident, local lawyers must demonstrate that the truck driver, their employer, or another entity owed and violated a “standard of care” and thereby caused otherwise preventable injuries to the claimant. The standard of care is what a reasonable person would do or not do in the same or similar circumstances. In cases where a trucking company bears liability, the attorneys at McCraw Law Group look at a reasonable and prudent company that follows the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the rules and regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations. If a lawyer is able to show that the defendant did not follow all the relevant laws, that goes a long way in proving negligence in a local trucking accident claim.
Driver Logs
Trucking companies are required to maintain their vehicles and ensure their drivers are well-trained and well-equipped to follow commercial truck driving laws. One of the ways they are able to do this is through driver logs. Truck drivers keep logs for how long they drive, how long they break, gas mileage, and the condition of their vehicles. An important aspect of proving negligence in a semi-truck collision case is comparing the driver logs to the laws regulating their behavior. When trying to determine negligence, lawyers may pull the relevant logs and measure the defendant’s conduct against those rules and the logs of other reasonable trucking companies and employees.
Commercial Vehicle Inspections
Shipping companies are required to ensure that their trucks are in good working order and follow proper safety protocols. One of the ways they accomplish this is to have drivers, or mechanics, perform pre-trip and post-trip inspections. The trucking company must periodically audit those inspections to ensure the driver is keeping up with them. The company must also inspect vehicle on a regular basis to evaluate things like brake alignment, safety systems, and reflective tape on the trailers. If the truck is involved in a collision due to poor maintenance, the trucking company can be held responsible for the resulting damages.
