North Carolina and South Carolina Truck Accident Attorney
The motor carrier industry is highly regulated in order to ensure safety and prevent accidents. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) are the minimum standards for commercial vehicles and motor carriers cannot operate trucks unless they meet these standards.
When these standards are not met, the likelihood for a truck accident increases substantially. Since commercial motor vehicles can weigh up to 80,000 lbs and are, in general, much bigger than passenger vehicles on the road, accidents caused by these trucks can have devastating results.
Attorney Brian Steed Tatum has years of experience in helping North Carolina and South Carolina’s injured drivers and their families in dealing with the devastating consequences of truck collisions. His experience ensures that injured clients receive the fullest compensation allowed by the law.
Truck Inspection and Maintenance Requirements
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires preventative maintenance and periodic inspections of trucks to prevent failures while a commercial motor vehicle is on the highway. Trucking companies must regularly inspect, maintain, and repair their carrier vehicles to prevent a mechanical issue from being overlooked that could cause a serious trucking accident.
The FMCSR requires that all commercial motor vehicles undergo a series of inspections that are designed to ensure that that the semi-trucks can be safely operated before a driver starts on a job. These requirements are set in place in order to ensure vehicle safety and to prevent trucking accidents. Most commonly, brakes, trailers, tires, and lights may be faulty or show signs of wear and tear that require maintenance.
According to the federal regulations, commercial motor vehicles must be regularly inspected, maintained, and repaired by motor carriers and accurate records must be kept of these inspections, maintenance, and repairs. Also, daily written reports must identify any defect or deficiencies that the driver has discovered that could affect the safety of a commercial motor vehicle’s operation.
The drivers must note anything that he or she notices that could result in a mechanical breakdown. Motor carriers must keep the original inspection report and certification of repairs for three months from the date that the report was written. If maintenance records show that there was a failure to properly maintain the semi-truck, and this could have contributed to the accident, then the driver or the trucking company may be liable.
Consult an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney
When fleet trucks are not inspected and properly maintained, the likelihood that a semi-truck will experience a mechanical failure increases substantially. These failures can result in serious and/or fatal accidents that could have been avoided with routine maintenance.
Because being involved in a truck accident can be devastating, the Tatum Law Firm is committed to serving these clients in North Carolina and South Carolina. Our experienced and dedicated truck accident attorney, Brian Steed Tatum, will carefully pursue your claims in order to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a truck accident, please to contact our office for assistance at (704) 307-4350 or online for a free case evaluation.