Drivers And Their Employers Are Responsible for Problems with Truck Loads from Start to Finish
Semi tractor-trailer rigs are big, awkward, challenging-to-operate vehicles. Even when empty, a typical tractor and trailer together weigh about 35,000 pounds and are more than 70 feet long, about 8.5 feet wide, and 13.5 feet tall. It’s easy to understand why it takes a considerable amount of training and experience for a truck driver to learn to safely drive one of these big rigs. Another significant challenge is the weight and distribution of a load being carried inside the trailer. That load can be up to about 45,000 pounds, and it’s sitting perched on top of a trailer that typically weighs less than a quarter of that amount, resulting in a tall vehicle with a high center of gravity that can be prone to tipping over when turning at high speed or experiencing lateral forces such as from high winds. And if part of that 20+ tons of load is unbalanced or suddenly shifts, it can quickly result in disastrous trucking accidents that can cause serious property damage, injuries, and even deaths. That’s why federal law holds truck drivers and their employers responsible for the proper distribution, balance, and securement of their cargo from start of trip to finish. When trucking accidents may have occurred due to improperly loaded cargo, a skilled personal injury attorney will know to review the details of the cargo’s loading and securement and compare these facts to the regulatory requirements to look for important discrepancies upon which a personal injury claim or lawsuit may hinge.