Truck accidents can have life-altering consequences for everyone involved. However, responsibility for truck crashes doesn’t always stem strictly from truck driver negligence. Sometimes, trucking companies simply make choices that put profits over safety. These companies might push their drivers to meet impossible schedules, ignore maintenance issues, or use negligent hiring practices to save money.
When trucking company negligence causes you harm, you may have a valid claim for compensation. Look at this guide from Kendall Law Firm to better understand what it looks like when corporate choices put people at risk.
Negligent Hiring and Training: How Inexperienced Drivers Cause Catastrophic Crashes
A trucking company is responsible for the people it hires and the training it provides. Some companies rush the process to get truckers on the road as fast as possible. They may employ drivers without proper commercial licenses or overlook past safety violations. Others skip background checks that would reveal drug or alcohol abuse.
Even when companies hire qualified drivers, they may fail to provide enough hands-on training. Inexperienced drivers may not know how to handle risky situations, such as driving a truck in bad weather, and the consequences can be tragic. When that happens, it may constitute trucking company negligence and liability.
Poor Maintenance and Equipment Failures That Lead to Serious Accidents
Poor maintenance is one of the easiest ways company negligence can cause trucking accidents, yet it’s all too common within the industry.
Every truck requires regular inspections and maintenance. Federal regulations require companies to keep detailed records and conduct safety checks before every trip. Unfortunately, many trucking firms ignore these rules. They allow trucks with worn tires or failing brakes out on the road to save money or time, gambling with human lives in the process.
Unrealistic Schedules and Fatigued Drivers: When Company Pressure Causes Wrecks
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sets specific guidelines for the number of hours a truck driver can work continuously without rest. These guidelines are intended to prevent truck accidents caused by driver fatigue and protect public safety. Fatigued drivers have delayed reaction times, make poor decisions, struggle with focus, and can even fall asleep behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, some trucking companies push their drivers to meet impossible delivery deadlines, sometimes pressuring them to stay on the road for far longer than the legal limits allow. To meet these deadlines, drivers may not only skip breaks but also speed and ignore safety rules to keep their jobs. If an accident occurs, the trucking company may bear responsibility if a truck accident lawyer in Virginia can prove that the company pressured the driver.
Contact Kendall Law Firm After a Trucking Company Negligence Accident
Kendall Law Firm holds reckless trucking companies accountable when their decisions cause life-altering injuries to innocent drivers. Our attorneys are lawyers that represent truck drivers in cases where their injuries were caused by the trucking company’s negligence or malfunctioning vehicle systems or parts. Those cases give us additional insight into how trucking companies operate.
We’re prepared to fight for the accountability and compensation you deserve. Contact us today for your free consultation.