When serious or unexplained accidents occur on our nation’s transportation system, you’ve probably heard about government organizations stepping in to investigate. This is exactly when the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) comes into play. With plane crashes or other aviation incidents, you might see agents from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in news videos at the crash site, and alongside those agents, there are usually members of the NTSB. But what exactly does the NTSB do? What is its purpose, and how does it help to make our [...]
In the world of transportation and logistics, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) plays a crucial role in ensuring safety and efficiency on the roads. Established within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), it is tasked with overseeing and regulating the trucking industry, among other responsibilities. Let's take a closer look at what the FMCSA is and why it is important for both businesses and the general public. Understanding What the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Is The FMCSA serves as the primary federal agency responsible [...]
When a truck travels without any cargo, this practice is known as deadheading. Often, truck drivers try to avoid routes that will end up with deadhead miles. These practices can be inefficient and force drivers to rush to find other cargo to carry back to their destination. As a result, it can lead to them taking risks on the road. At the Trucking Injury Law Group, we have seen the effects of drivers who are under stress to complete a drop-off and return for another assignment. Usually, these [...]
Have you ever wondered why, at certain times of day, there are more trucks than at other times? We see big trucks around us wherever we drive, whether on city streets or major highways. Tractor-trailers follow schedules, and while most of us are all too familiar with “rush hour” traffic, these big rigs don’t appear to follow the same traffic flow. Are you curious as to what time are most trucks on the road? In this post, we’ll explain “truck hour” as well as which days have the [...]
Actress Jayne Mansfield was at the height of her Hollywood career in the 1950s and early 1960s. However, her success came to an abrupt end in late June of 1967 when she was traveling between appearances, and the sedan she was in collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer. That collision resulted in Manfield's immediate death. However tragic the circumstances under which she died, the premature loss of such a well-known figure in Hollywood did spark change. Below, we'll go into detail about how the death of a [...]
When a large vehicle such as an 18-wheeler or other transport truck causes an accident, the results are often catastrophic for both the trucker and any other cars involved. When severe damage and injuries or even death occur as a result of the accident, we may wonder if the truck driver will have their commercial driver’s license (CDL) suspended or revoked or if no such penalty will happen. The quick answer is: it depends. Each truck crash is different, and CDL revocation depends on the details of the [...]
Attorney Kevin Coluccio recently drafted “Duties & Responsibilities of Route Planning.” The article was published in the latest edition of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) newsletter. It discusses the duties and responsibilities of route planning for motor carriers and commercial drivers in the context of truck accidents. “Before beginning any journey, the commercial driver must approach their trip with the primary goal of the safe operation of their equipment and public safety.” In the article, Kevin emphasizes the importance of pre-planning routes to ensure safety and [...]
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were 543,061 motor carriers operating both intrastate and interstate in Dec. 2017. While some of these trucking companies are small operations with only a handful of trucks working in a limited area, others employ hundreds of thousands of drivers to transport goods all over the country. Some trucking companies place a greater emphasis on safety than others. Motor carriers that have a high number of crashes may be less likely to engage critically in important safety practices, like [...]
Most of us readily recognize the term "interstate" as describing a fast-speed roadway that is free of traffic signals and riddled with exits for different stops along the way that connects one state to another. However, according to the title of this piece, you saw where the term interstate is used to describe a type of trucking in contrast with "intrastate" trucking. Interstate trucking describes any crossing of state or international borders. In contrast, intrastate trucking refers to a trucker who keeps within a specific state's borders, which [...]
Filing suit against fleet companies after a crash used to be complex yet easily handled by skilled attorneys. However, some states are making it increasingly harder for drivers to file lawsuits against trucking companies following crashes. Trucking industry lobbyists in states like Iowa, Montana, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, and Florida have already been successful in passing new laws limiting truck crash victims' rights to sue trucking companies after collisions. While the lobbyists' efforts haven't altogether limited a victim’s ability to file lawsuits yet, it has resulted in caps being [...]
