How Are Truck Accidents Different from Car Accidents?

Transcript

Truck accidents are much different than car accidents. When I say truck accident, what I'm referring to is a commercial vehicle case, 18 wheelers, logging trucks, dump trucks. A fully loaded 18 wheeler can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, whereas most cars or SUVs weigh 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. So when a commercial vehicle gets involved in an accident, you are much more likely to be seriously injured or even killed.

The rules of the road are different for commercial vehicles. The federal rules, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act, governs rules and regulations for both drivers and for employers. One of the first things that must be determined is is it a commercial vehicle? We have a case right now that I'm handling that the driver, the at fault driver, was driving a Ford F-550, which is considered a commercial vehicle because it weighs over 10,000 pounds.

Because the losses are so much greater in commercial vehicle cases, they require a thorough investigation. They require a working knowledge of all of the federal rules, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act. The rules of the road are greatly heightened for professional drivers as they should be. And so it's necessary to have a working knowledge of those rules in order to obtain a complete recovery for all of your losses.