Recently, a Texas lawmaker introduced a bill that would allow overweight trucks to pay an $80 fee and enter the United States overweight without a fine. The purpose of the bill is to allow truckers from Mexico to avoid having to lighten their load before crossing into United States. Mexico allows heavier trucks on its […]
All of us have been on the highway and seen an “oversized load” either too high or too wide. Unfortunately, many times the big rig carrying the load causes damage to the highway, other vehicles or the infrastructure. A recent example of this occurred in Montgomery County, Texas yesterday when an 18 wheeler was carrying […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in section 392.14 deal with driving in hazardous conditions. The regulations state: “extreme caution in the operation of a commercial motor vehicle shall be exercised when hazardous conditions, such as those caused by snow, ice, sleet, fog, mist, rain, dust, or smoke, adversely affect visibility or traction.” The regulations […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations provide instruction to truck drivers and how to stop their vehicle whether on the highway or on the shoulder of the road. The relevant section is 392.22 entitled Emergency Signals, the regulations provide: “Whenever a commercial motor vehicle is stopped on the traveled portion of a highway or the […]
When a small car or a pickup truck pulls in front of a big rig or semi-truck to move forward in traffic, it makes one cringe. If the passenger car driver was aware of the increased stopping distance required to stop a commercial vehicle compared to a passenger car or pickup truck, they would never […]
Quite a few of the middle size to larger commercial trucking companies have gone to GPS tracking to reduce costs and retain control over their fleet. Many companies provide the hardware and software necessary to monitor a truck tracking system for the commercial trucking company. One of the areas in which GPS tracking helps reduce […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is charged with the responsibility of keeping our highways safe as far as motor carriers and commercial truck drivers are concerned. One of the ways that the administration regulates safety for truck drivers and motor carriers is to issue regulations that give a minimum level of safe conduct acceptable […]
It should come as no surprise that semi-trucks undergo the same rigors of recalls that other vehicles experience – any awareness of recalls would likely be relevant to semi-truck owners, trucking businesses or those who suffered injuries or fatalities related to these recalls. What follows are some recent recalls for semis and parts that will […]
The cell phone is in its infancy as a form of communication (let’s say – in comparison to the age old form of exchanging information – talking) yet I would venture to say that the usage of cell phones is nearly ubiquitous. We don’t just rely on them for conversation anymore but for any number […]
Statistics reveal that there is at least one fatality in 98% of accidents involving semi-trucks. Realistically, then, that means in any accident in which one of the vehicles is a semi-truck at least one person is killed. Moreover, there is an average of 130,000 persons injured in semi-truck accidents annually as well. Put in human […]
After a very serious accident that resulted in severe injury, many people have a hard time coping with the changes to their circumstances and their injuries. At that time, it is difficult for an injury victim to do anything let alone hire an attorney to represent them in the eighteen-wheeler accident. Yet, it is at […]
According to the national Highway Safety Administration, the agency is seeking to finalize some important regulations by the end of this year, which will include a requirement for seat belts on commercial buses. The original proposal for seatbelts on commercial buses has been long-delayed and met substantial resistance. While there are some issues to be […]
Statistics show that up to 32 million people a day travel by some sort of bus—be it a school bus, city bus, charter bus, or Greyhound. The minimum number of injury and fatality accidents seems to indicate that bus travel is relatively safe. Even so, there are measures that potential bus travelers can take to […]
Talk about your ‘no-brainers’. To ensure there would be ‘no room for confusion’ a representative of the Department of Transportation issued a notice recently that clarifies what already should be apparent: In no uncertain terms federal regulations prohibit the use of marijuana by commercial drivers in interstate commerce, even in states that permit use of […]
Commercial vehicles are obviously much larger than a typical passenger car or pickup truck, and they operate much differently. While a passenger car generally weighs 5000 pounds or less, a big rig can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. The gross axle weight rating on a tractor-trailer is the maximum weight that an axle is designed […]
Large gigantic trucks, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, and other huge vehicles are mainly used to transport heavy cargo or materials from one place to another. Similarly, a large truck is a vehicle that weighs 10,000 pounds or more. Commercial drivers or truck drivers are responsible for the load or cargo during transportation. And there have been incidents […]
A dump truck driver who was convicted on several charges over the 2010 wrongful deaths of four motorcyclists was recently sentenced to twenty-six years in jail. The professional driver was convicted of manslaughter, aggravated assault and endangerment according to reports. Apparently the truck driver ran over several motorcycle riders who were stopped at a red […]
Truck accidents are on the rise in US, especially in states like Texas and Florida. Each state has its own rules and regulations pertaining to such truck related accidents, but most have adopted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Therefore victims of truck accidents need to be able to search for the best truck accident […]
Well, over one hundred cars were involved in a pile-up on Interstate 10 outside of Beaumont, Texas. Apparently, two vehicles crashed in what was described as dense fog, leading to a massive multiple-vehicle crash. The chain reaction resulted in a stretch of cars and eighteen-wheelers that was over 1 mile long. Reports indicate that up […]
Improperly secured or shifting loads on semi-trucks (and other vehicles) that come loose can – and in many cases, have – caused property damage, injury and even deaths. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety – there are an estimated f 25,000 accidents annually across the country that result from improperly secured payloads and […]
With growing economy, the numbers of transport companies have also grown during the recent decade. And unfortunately, so have the serious injury and fatal semi truck accidents. But, it has to be noted that rules of the road are quite different for passenger cars and pickup trucks than they are for professional truck drivers. For […]
