Trucking companies, or motor carriers, are legally responsible (vicariously liable) for the acts and negligence of their drivers. Also, the trucking company may be accountable itself (independently liable) for its behavior, when an 18-wheeler wreck causes injury or wrongful death. This is particularly true when it comes to negligently hiring, training, or monitoring the company’s truckers. The trucking company must ensure that the truck drivers comply with all the safety rules outlined in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Virtually all interstate trucking companies must carry at least $750,000.00 worth of insurance coverage. Many of these companies are required to have more coverage still. It is not uncommon for a carrier to be required to carry at least $1,000,000.00 in coverage. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration lists the insurance requirements, and the insurance coverage confirmation filed by each company under its aegis.
As I was writing this, I did a random check of several trucking companies. Here is what I found:
- Company “A” is required to have $750,000 in coverage. No insurance coverage is on file.
- Company “B” is required to have $750,000 in coverage. No insurance coverage is on file.
- Company “C” is required to have $750,000 in coverage. $1 million in coverage is on file.
- Company “D” is required to have $750,000 in coverage. $1 million in coverage is on file.
- Company “E” is required to have $5 million in coverage. $1 million in coverage is on file.
- Company “F” is required to have $750,000 in coverage. No insurance coverage is on file.
- Company “G” is required to have $1 million in coverage. $1 million in coverage is on file.
- Company “H” is required to have $1.5 million in coverage. No insurance coverage is on file.
- Company “I” is not subject to the coverage requirements. No insurance coverage is on file.
- Company “J” is required to have $750,000 in coverage. $1 million in coverage is on file.
In other words, just 5 out of the 10 I looked at were complying with the insurance coverage requirements. Let’s hope they are at least following the other safety rules.
The next time you see a tractor-trailer almost, but not quite, cause an automobile accident, don’t think that there is nothing you can do. The fact is, there is something you can do.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (a part of the United States Department of Transportation) compiles reports from the public about safety violations involving both tractor trailers which travel across state lines, and also those that transport hazardous materials. You can make your confidential report online.
To file a complaint about the phone, call 1-888-DOT-SAFT (368-7238) Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 9 PM Eastern Standard Time. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration follows a strict privacy policy, which is required by law, of not disclosing your identity.
Texas injury attorney Rey Diaz represents pedestrians who have been injured when stricken by a car, truck, or another motor vehicle.
Licensing Fraud
Many people may be unaware that a massive problem in the trucking industry is unskilled and untrained truck drivers. To obtain work, people may be forging commercial licenses. This doesn’t just mean that people are gaining employment fraudulently. This is still an issue, but the more considerable repercussion is that unskilled drivers on the road mean more accidents that should have been avoided. The government is actively investigating many trucking agencies to find out if they are employing drivers with faulty commercial trucking licenses.
Investigations to date have uncovered these licensing schemes in 24 states, with other multiple studies going on in 13 other states. These investigations are being conducted by the Department of Transportation. What usually happens is third-party scam businesses will offer their services for money. They tend to gravitate toward exploiting immigrants who may not fully understand what they are doing. Many accidents have been reported in which, after an investigation, it was determined that an unskilled driver was behind the wheel.
Get Help from a Skilled Truck Accident Lawyer
These drivers are putting everyone on our nation’s highways at risk. This is no small issue. In a report from the Department of Transportation, there were 15,000 suspected fraudulent license holders spread across 27 states. Each one of these drivers is an accident waiting to happen. If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident involving a commercial truck, then get in touch with a truck accident attorney from our firm. We have experience fighting against trucking companies that employed drivers with faulty licenses. We are proud to defend the rights of our injury victims, and if you were injured because of this type of truck driver negligence, then you are entitled to compensation.