As Houston area drivers, we share our roads with hundreds if not thousands of trucks each day. Large commercial trucks, also called big-rigs or semi-trucks, can carry a large number of goods across the country. Semi-trucks typically have 18 wheels, which are necessary to handle the weight and stress of the mighty cargo they carry. […]
We share our Houston roadways with millions of trucks. According to the United States Department of Transportation, there are over 12.5 million commercial trucks registered in the U.S. While we need trucks to transport our goods across the country, sometimes trucks can be dangerous. Big rigs can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when loaded, making […]
Over 2 million semi-trucks are operating in the United States. We share the road with commercial trucks daily. While we need large trucks to deliver our goods across the country, we also need to ensure our safety while we drive. Big rigs can weigh 80,000 pounds when loaded with cargo, so an accident with a […]
Houston has some of the most commercial trucks on the roads. Our area is a hub for transportation, and many trucks need to travel through our city to get to other parts of the country. Trucks can pose a threat to safety on our roads. One of the concerns is for falling cargo. […]
When you see a large semi-truck on the road you notice that it has many more tires than passenger vehicles. You likely assume that the extra tires will prevent it from having a problem in case one of the tires fails. While the extra tires support the truck and keep it on the road, a […]
The transportation of goods across the country is essential to our economy. Yet, with all those trucks on the roads, it can make for a dangerous commute. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) there were almost 300,000 big rigs on the nation’s roadways in 2016. Accidents with 18-wheelers can cause serious injuries […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimates that about 20% of all trucking accidents are rear-ended related crashes. Rear-end collisions with big rigs are incredibly hazardous to the occupants in the vehicles they hit. Some of the reasons for the severity of injury and frequency of 18-wheeler crashes include: • A semi-truck can weigh 80,000 […]
1. Never tailgate a semi-truck – again they may not be able to see you (for that matter never tailgate at all!). Because large trucks can block your vision ahead, it is best to allow extra distance when following a big truck. 2. Semi-trucks have eighteen tires that may be problematic. If a tire blows […]
Accidents with big rigs are dangerous and terrifying. Those involved in truck crashes are often seriously hurt. After a crash, all aspects of the situation need to be analyzed. An experienced Houston truck accident attorney will work to gather information and details about the crash. One factor that often comes into play is whether the […]
Texas has more fatal truck wrecks than any other state. The number of severe injuries from a semi crash is also the worst in the nation. Lots of Big Trucks Texas has thousands of miles of highways and includes such major interstates such as I-10 running across the state east and west, […]
Professional truck drivers must perform a pre-trip inspection each day before they take their tractor-trailer out on the highway. Making sure that the tires on the tractor and trailer are correctly inflated and in safe operating condition is an integral part of the pre-trip inspection. Trucking companies know of downtime for their rigs. Making sure […]
The United States faces the dilemma of a massive commercial truck driver shortage. The situation has gotten so acute that Congress is now looking at legislation aimed at increasing the number of drivers available for interstate routes. This article addresses the scope of the problem, some proposed solutions and the dangers of some solutions. Driver […]
Big rig accidents are often very serious. Large 18-wheelers can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when loaded. This makes them much heavier than passenger vehicles. When a collision occurs with a big rig, it is likely to result in severe injuries or fatalities to people in cars or SUVs. Besides the size and weight of […]
Every day on highways across America, big rigs, 18-wheelers, and tractor-trailers share the road with the motoring public. In fact, the trucking industry is vitally important to the American economy. The American Trucking Association projects a banner year for the sales of the most massive class of 18-wheelers for the year 2018. The only impediment […]
After a truck accident, the focus usually is upon the driver of the big rig and whether or not that driver was responsible for the collision. Sometimes, however, the trucking company or “motor carrier” holds responsibility independently of the acts of their driver. Motor carriers must follow the same set of rules that commercial drivers […]
For more than 30 years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has set rules for drug and alcohol testing that covers commercial truck and bus drivers. What Supervisors of Truckers Need to Know: Section 332.603 require supervisors of commercial motor vehicle drivers to take specialized training relating to alcohol and drug symptoms and identification. The […]
Texas has more fatal truck accidents than any other state in the United States according to a recent report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In 2016, Texas had 484 fatalities in big truck accidents. The margin was significant as the next closest state was California with 293 people killed. […]
We have been holding trucking companies accountable for accidents of their drivers for over three decades with incredible success. Trucking companies and their insurers are always looking for ways to avoid paying fair value for injuries caused by their drivers. One of the tricks they try to use is to suggest that the truck […]
If you were asked ten years ago to imagine an activity we as a society could invent that would cause more motor vehicle accidents and more fatalities than drunk driving one would be hard to believe what it would be. That, however, is what we have done with the smartphone and text messaging. Business people […]
What is the Blind Spot? A blind spot is a place in either lane adjacent to the one being driven in at an approximately 45-degree angle to the driver where neither the side view or rear-view mirror picks up the presence of another motor vehicle. When changing lanes in either direction the driver is required […]
Rollover accidents involving tanker trucks can result in very serious injuries and even fatalities. These injuries often are sustained to not only the driver of a tanker truck but other motorists that end up involved in a collision that arises from a rollover. Nearly 80 percent of all tanker truck rollover accidents involve some element […]
