Trucking Injury Law Group Blog

What Are the CDL Requirements in Washington?

Published on January 1, 2025

Trucking Industry

As most of us are aware, almost anyone wishing to operate a semi-truck, bus, or other large automobile must first secure a commercial driver's license (CDL) to do so. Whether you're considering pursuing a career in the trucking industry or you've recently had the misfortune of becoming involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer, these are just two reasons you might want to know what are the CDL requirements in Washington. According to the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL), there are several classes of CDLs, each with [...]
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Are Trucking Companies Required to Install Dash Cams in Their Fleet Vehicles?

Published on November 5, 2024

Trucking Industry

Modern trucks are equipped with a wide range of technology designed to prevent accidents. These devices include radar detection, rear cameras, and GPS. Another important device that drivers and trucking companies can utilize to improve safety is dash cams. A recent story posted on Fleet Owner detailed how 68% of drivers can’t recall key information from a crash and how dash cams can provide that vital information. With those benefits, are trucking companies required to install dash cams in their fleet vehicles? As it stands, there are no [...]
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Do Truck Drivers Still Use Paper Logs?

Published on October 29, 2024

Trucking Industry

For workers on an hourly salary, you can’t get paid unless the boss knows how many hours you’ve put in on the job. The vast majority of hourly workers “punch” a time clock at the start and end of their workday. However, the 3.5 million truck drivers (according to the U.S. Census Bureau) have two options for clocking their hours. They can use electronic logging devices (ELDs) or paper logs. With the ease of ELDs, do truck drivers still use paper logs? Logging Mandates The first hours of [...]
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Do Truck Drivers Have Continuing Education and Training?

Published on October 22, 2024

Trucking Industry

When you become a commercial truck driver, you are taking all the skills you learned for your fundamental driver’s license and enhancing them to follow the standards of a commercial driver’s license (CDL). A commercial driver’s license is available in three class levels, with each level being a different size and type of vehicle. Before you apply for a CDL in Washington, you must go through 80 to 160 hours of training (depending on which class of license you’re applying for). Once you get a CDL, do truck [...]
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What Is a Short-Haul Exception?

Published on October 22, 2024

Trucking Industry

In the trucking world, drivers and trucking companies must abide by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's regulations. One of the most important of these rules is the hours of service (HOS). These regulations are designed to prevent driver fatigue and reduce accidents due to overworked and exhausted drivers.  However, not all drivers are covered under these regulations. For short-haul drivers, they have a short-haul exception that gives them more flexibility with these hours. So, what are short-haul exceptions? In this article, let's look at the basics of [...]
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How Much Sleep Should a Truck Driver Get?

Published on August 27, 2024

Trucking Industry

Everyone has a kind of “internal clock” that regulates our waking and sleeping patterns. These are referred to as circadian rhythms. When there is a dip in the circadian rhythm, we get drowsy. Ideally, that should happen when we are getting ready for bed, but it can also occur when we are behind the wheel of our cars. This can be an especially risky condition for truck drivers who drive at all hours of the day and night. The issue of how much sleep a truck driver should [...]
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How the Pay-Per-Mile Trucker Compensation Model Compromises Safety

Published on August 6, 2024

Trucking Industry

The trucking industry is the backbone of American commerce, transporting goods from state to state and shore to shore while fueling our economy. Unfortunately, the compensation model used by most of the trucking industry—pay-per-mile—raises significant safety concerns, as well as some ethical questions from many truck accident lawyers about incentivizing speeding and excessive driving time. The common concern is that this model, while seemingly straightforward and efficient, places added pressure and incentives on drivers to take unnecessary risks and put themselves in unsafe working conditions, all of which [...]
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What Happens if a Truck Is Overweight at a Weigh Station?

Published on July 30, 2024

Trucking Industry

Everyone knows that a ton equals 2,000 pounds. According to data from the American Trucking Associations, the trucking industry transported 11.46 billion tons of freight in 2022, an astronomical number of pounds of goods. All those trucks need to comply with federal and state regulations pertaining to weight limits. Anyone who shares the road with 18-wheelers should wonder what happens if a truck is overweight at the weigh station. That answer depends on how much overweight and if there are valid permits. Overweight at a Weigh Station There [...]
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Can Truck Drivers Have Their Licenses Revoked?

Published on July 16, 2024

Trucking Industry

Have you ever pulled up to the back of a semi-truck with a sign asking, “How am I driving?” That is usually accompanied by a phone number that will let you call the trucking company and tell them exactly how their employee is driving. According to the Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2020 report published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were 168,000 truck accidents that year, with 32% of those incidents involving injury and 3% involving fatalities. There is room for improvement. Given [...]
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Why Are Larger Vehicles Like Trucks Less Stable?

Published on July 9, 2024

Trucking Industry

The many freeways and Interstates of the Pacific Northwest allow for massive amounts of commercial trucking, connecting us across the nation and around the world. An unfortunate reality of this, however, is that driving larger vehicles like commercial trucks (and sharing the road with them) can present unique challenges compared to smaller vehicles. While trucks are essential for transporting goods and heavy loads, their design and function inherently make them less stable. Below, we’ll explore why larger vehicles like trucks are less stable, emphasizing the key elements that [...]
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