If you are involved in a collision with a truck, you may suffer severe injuries which require extensive treatment and rehabilitation. You may also need a lot of time off work as a result.
The costs of all this can be very high, and often it’s the trucking company you claim against rather than the driver.
It will depend on the particular driver’s employment situation, but only 9% of truckers own and operate their own vehicle.
Drivers sometimes just drive
Many drivers don’t do much maintenance on their trucks. Their employer wants them to spend as much time as possible driving, so they employ others to do the maintenance work or contract it out. So, when something goes wrong due to a mechanical failure, it might not have anything to do with the driver. The employer and garage, and even the parts manufacturer, might be responsible.
Incorrectly loading a truck could cause an accident
Most truck drivers do not load the vehicles themselves. There are people employed at either end to load and unload. Drivers may use these moments to get a break, especially if their employer is pushing them hard. The driver might not realize the truck is poorly loaded and unstable until it is too late, and they crash.
Employers dictate who drives their vehicles
If employers fail to do adequate checks or overlook a potential recruit’s poor driving history, they may bear some of the responsibility for the accident. The same applies if they fail to carry out proper training.
If you are lying in a hospital bed, you do not have the time to work out who was responsible. It’s best to seek legal guidance from someone who understands all your compensation options.
