Driving alongside an 80,000-pound semi-truck on I-15 is a daily reality for many residents in South Jordan, Utah. While most professional drivers are safe and courteous, the sheer size of these vehicles means that when accidents happen, the consequences are often catastrophic.
If you are involved in a collision with a commercial vehicle, you might assume it is handled just like a standard car accident. However, truck accident claims are far more complex legally. This is largely due to the specific laws governing the industry.
To secure fair compensation, your legal team must understand federal trucking regulations. These rules, set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), establish the safety standards for the entire trucking industry. When a driver or a trucking company violates these rules, it can be the smoking gun needed to prove negligence and win your case.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the agency responsible for regulating the trucking industry in the United States. Their primary mission is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.
To achieve this, they enforce a strict set of protocols known as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). These rules cover everything from how long a driver can stay behind the wheel to how often a truck’s brakes must be inspected.
In a personal injury case, these regulations serve as a baseline for safety. If a trucking company falls short of these standards, they aren't just cutting corners—they are breaking federal law.
While there are hundreds of specific regulations, three main categories frequently come into play during personal injury litigation: Hours of Service, Weight Limits, and Maintenance.
Driver fatigue is a leading cause of truck accidents. To combat this, the FMCSA enforces strict "Hours of Service" rules. Generally, property-carrying drivers:
Despite these rules, pressure to meet tight delivery deadlines often pushes drivers to skip breaks or falsify logs. If we can prove a driver exceeded these limits, we can argue that fatigue played a role in the crash.
A fully loaded commercial truck takes significantly longer to stop than a passenger vehicle. If a truck is overloaded, that stopping distance increases dangerously, and the vehicle becomes harder to maneuver.
Federal regulations set strict weight limits for commercial vehicles. Furthermore, there are specific protocols for how cargo must be secured. If a load shifts during transit because it wasn't tied down correctly, it can cause the truck to jackknife or rollover.
Commercial trucks endure massive amounts of wear and tear. The FMCSA requires trucking companies to perform systematic inspection, repair, and maintenance of all motor vehicles under their control.
Drivers are also required to perform a pre-trip inspection before they hit the road each day, checking tires, brakes, lights, and coupling devices. A failure to spot a bald tire or a faulty brake line isn't just bad luck; it’s a violation of federal protocol.
In a standard car accident, negligence is often proven by showing a driver was distracted or speeding. In a truck accident case, federal trucking regulations provide a much clearer roadmap to proving fault.
When a truck driver or company violates a safety statute designed to protect the public, it can constitute "negligence per se." This legal concept essentially means that because the defendant violated a law meant to prevent the exact harm that occurred, the court may automatically presume they were negligent.
For example, if a truck rear-ends you because its brakes failed, and we discover the company skipped a federally mandated brake inspection, the link between their negligence and your injury becomes difficult for them to dispute.
At True North Injury Law, investigating a truck accident goes far beyond looking at the police report. We use federal regulations to uncover evidence that isn't immediately visible at the crash scene.
Here is how we use these breaches to build a case:
The trucking industry is backed by powerful insurance companies and aggressive legal teams. Their goal is often to minimize payouts by arguing that the accident was unavoidable or partially your fault.
Understanding federal trucking regulations levels the playing field. It allows us to hold these massive corporations accountable not just for the crash, but for the safety failures that led to it.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, you need a legal team that understands the nuances of FMCSA rules. Contact True North Injury Law in South Jordan, UT, to discuss your case and ensure your rights are protected.
