​

​

​

Federal trucking law strictly regulates the trucking industry

​

Federal trucking law provide strict requirements for commercial motor vehicles such as semi-trucks. Trucking carriers and drivers must abide by the federal mandates of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, or FMCSR. Through these regulations, trucking carriers and drivers have strict requirements as they relate to the inspection, repair, and maintenance of trucks, and driver hours of service.​

​

Trucking carriers may be responsible for failing to properly inspect, repair, or maintain their tractors or the trailers that they haul. Carriers can additionally hold responsibility for hiring and retaining drivers with poor driving records. Finally, carriers can be held liable for setting routes and schedules that encourage dangerous and fatigued driving.

​

The federal hours-of-service requirements are intended to curb fatigued drivers of dangerous semi-trucks. Truck drivers must follow the hours-of-service mandates required by federal law. There are a littany of ways for a driver to run afoul of the hours-of-service requirements.

​

Trucks involve specialized equipment

​

Federal law requires that tractor-trailer carriers and drivers use of specialized equipment, including electronic logging devices. Other specialized equipment found in commercial motor vehicles includes engine control modules, event data recorders, or "black boxes," electronic dispatching systems, and other computerized systems that hold data. The multimedia and data stored in these systems are invaluable during accident reconstruction as well as for proving trucking accident cases. Dan Seidman is experienced in trucking accidents, and can acquire and navigate this valuable multimedia and data, putting the best foot foward in proving, and ultimately winning, trucking cases.

​

Loading dock separation accidents

​

Not nearly all trucking-related injuries occur while on the road. A common source of tractor-trailer related injuries occur at loading docks. One common loading dock mishap is called a loading dock separation accident. This occurs due to a space between the loading dock and the trailer being loaded or unloaded. These injuries occur due to operator error, as well as equipment.

​

Truck drivers do not always follow proper loading dock procedure, and can pull the truck away from the dock too early, including while workers are inside of the trailer. At its heart, negligent drive-aways result from inattention, failure to follow safe practices and procedures, as well as the failure to adequately communicate with the receiving staff. Trucking carries can be responsible for injuries where they negligently failed to properly train their drivers in safe loading tock procedures.

 

Another source of separation accidents are the failure to have, or use, the appropriate equipment. OSHA calls for the use of wheel chocks to supplement brakes, in order to prevent the movement of trucks, or alternatively mechanical means to secure trailers to loading docks so long as they provide the same level as protection as chocks. A carrier and truck driver's failure to use the proper safety equipment puts loading dock workers at risk of serious injuries.

​

 

​

​

  

​

​

​

​

​

​