Trucking is among the more dangerous occupations. A significant percentage of my work as a trucking safety trial attorney in Atlanta is representation of injured truck drivers and their survivors when a crash is caused not by the trucker, but by another motorist. Many lawyers in such situations may overlook…
Handling truck accident injury and death cases in Georgia, I have often seen how inadequate the levels of insurance coverage can be for the havoc created by large truck crashes. Now there are efforts to catch up the levels of coverage for 29 years of inflation. The current levels of…
Driver fatigue is one of the major causes of large truck crashes, though perhaps less so than prescription and over the counter medications. The battle over truck drivers’ hours of service rules has raged for six years now. I won’t repeat the whole controversy here. While there is much more…
As a trucking safety trial attorney in Atlanta, I often see cases involving medically unfit drivers. I’ve seen cases where truckers were blind in one eye, were supposed to carry an oxygen tank 24/7 for COPD, or had untreated obstructive sleep apnea, all medically disqualifying conditions. Fortunately, the Federal Motor…
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration determined that a 99% pass rate in safety audits of new motor carrier entrants might be missing something, since new entrants were still involved in a higher percentage of trucking accidents. The initial grant of authority to operate as an interstate motor carrier is…
It is not uncommon for a carrier with a bad safety record to shut down one corporate entity and open a new company involving the same individuals. By changing corporate entities and getting a new DOT number the company could effectively hide the bad safety record. When an existing motor…
NOTE TO TRUCK DRIVERS: Our law practice focuses on representation of people who are seriously injured, and families of those killed, in crashes with large commercial vehicles. While those are often truck drivers, we do not handle truckers’ employment law matters. For legal advice on issues with your employer, see…
The health of truck drivers operating 80,000 pound vehicles on the highways for long hours is a matter of great concern for safety of both the truckers and others on the road. The lifestyle of long-haul truckers is hardly conducive to maintaining good habits of diet and exercise. Obesity, sleep…
Effective 12/19/08, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rescinded a 1997 policy in order to permit motor carriers to use electronic systems in lieu of paper logs. The change of policy recognizes the reality that most motor carriers now use some sort of technology to trace, route and manage their…
In a few hours I will fly home to Atlanta after speaking at the American Association for Justice Interstate Trucking Litigation Group continuing legal education seminar. The faculty at these national seminars form an invaluable nationwide network of knowledge, contacts and resources. If you are a lawyer seeking to handle…