Company truck accidents

When you are loved one has been injured by another driver’s carelessness or neglect, and that another driver was driving a company truck, you probably have options that often are not available in a typical car wreck.

Company trucks such as FedEx or UPS travel are highways and streets every day delivering products and goods. In fact, it is very hard to drive any length of time in a major metropolitan area and not see a FedEx or UPS delivery truck.

Big rigs involve commercially licensed drivers, the same driver’s license that a big rig driver is required to have in order to operate his truck. These professional truck drivers are subject to additional rules and regulations because of the injury potential for the vehicles they drive.

For FedEx drivers and UPS drivers who are delivering locally and driving smaller delivery trucks, a commercial driver’s license is not usually required. Nevertheless, company rules and regulations usually apply to govern the driver’s conduct during the job.

Generally, if a company driver, who is on the job for the benefit of his or her employer, injures you the employer will be legally responsible for the negligence of their employee while on the job. Typically, a business also maintains a commercial auto policy covering employees who may drive a company vehicle.

This is very significant for the accident victim because the minimum level of liability insurance coverage in Texas is only $30,000 on a typical passenger vehicle. A commercial policy generally has limits exceeding $100,000 and often in the seven figures for liability coverage.

For this reason, many insurance carriers under commercial policies rigorously investigate an accident after they receive notice. Frequently, the defense of a case that appears to be one of “clear liability” involves the insurance carrier hiring an accident reconstruction expert to shift the responsibility from their insured to the innocent victims.

There’s an old saying that the greater the policy, the bigger the fight, and that saying generally is true and commercial vehicle accidents. The more money an insurance company has at risk, the harder they fight to keep from paying fair and adequate compensation.

Often, after an accident with a commercial vehicle, such as a FedEx wreck or UPS truck accident, or even an Amazon truck accident, a truck accident lawyer can use discovery to investigate the safety rules and policies of the company in an effort to find violations on the part of the driver and or careless policies by the company.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a commercial vehicle accident, make sure you take advantage of a consultation with the best truck accident lawyer you can locate as soon as possible after the crash.