Trucking Weight Violations Attorneys in Fort Worth, Texas

Federal trucking regulations, as well as state laws, have some very specific restrictions on the maximum weight for commercial trucks, as well as how this weight is to be loaded, in order to minimize the risk of truck wrecks. While these regulations often come with penalties for drivers and trucking companies who violate them:

• These penalties are sometimes not an effective deterrent, as truckers and/or trucking companies may continue to try to overload trucks in an effort to get more cargo to a destination at the expense of public safety.

• When trucking weight violations contribute to wrecks and injuries, injured people can turn to the trusted Fort Worth truck crash attorneys at The Haslam Firm for experienced help with their financial recovery.

A Closer Look at Trucking Weight Violations

Federal trucking regulators define “large” trucks as vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds; however, commercial trucks traveling on interstate highways can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds (when fully loaded). In addition to setting weight limits, trucking regulations also stipulate how cargo is to be loaded and secured on commercial trucks, as well as how long trailers are permitted to be.

When truckers and/or trucking companies intentionally commit trucking weight violations, these violations can specifically come in the form of:

• Overloading trucks – When an excessive amount of weight is loaded on trucks, the risks of vehicle equipment failures can increase significantly. For instance, under too much weight, it’s far more likely that tires will blow out, brakes may malfunction, etc. However, even if trucking equipment stands up to excessive weight, controlling overloaded trucks can be far more difficult for drivers, as the more braking distance is needed, last-minute maneuvers can be nearly impossible, etc.

• Failing to properly secure truck loads – When trucking weight violations involve a failure to appropriately secure cargo, the risks that this cargo will shift in transport increase substantially. In fact, if shifting takes place, it’s far more likely that cargo may fall off trucks, that drivers will have more challenges in appropriately judging stopping distances and that truckers will generally have a more difficult time controlling trucks.

• Failing to properly balance truckloads – Imbalanced truckloads can significantly increase the risks that rollovers and/or jackknife wrecks will take place, as the center of balance for these trucks can dangerously shift upwards and/or sideways.

There may be various other ways that trucking weight violations can occur and contribute to trucking wrecks; as a result, it’s best for people injured in truck wrecks to consult with an experienced lawyer to evaluate if and/or how trucking weight violations and negligence may have contributed to their collision and injuries.

When Trucking Weight Violations Cause Wrecks

After trucking weight violations contribute to truck wrecks, injured people may have a few options for financial recovery, depending on the circumstances of their collision. In particular, it may be possible to seek compensation from:

• Negligent truckers when these drivers are the ones responsible for violating trucking weight regulations

• Negligent trucking companies when they encourage or fail to address trucking weight violations committed by their employees

Here, we also want to note that our Fort Worth truck crash attorneys are skilled, dedicated advocates for:

• Families who have lost loved ones in fatal truck wrecks caused by trucking weight violations

• Responsible truckers and/or trucking companies who have been wrongfully accused of trucking weight violations.

Fort Worth Truck Crash Attorneys at The Haslam Firm

Have you been hurt in a truck crash that may have been caused by a trucking weight violation? If so, contacting the experienced Fort Worth truck crash attorneys at The Haslam Firm is your best option for obtaining experienced help, personalized legal service, and justice.

To find out more about your options for financial recovery, as well as how we can help you, let’s talk about your case during an initial consultation. You can set up this meeting by calling or sending us an email using the contact form on this page.

From our offices based in Fort Worth, our trusted lawyers provide superior legal representation to people throughout the state of Texas, including (but not exclusive to) those in Dallas, Granbury, Denton, Weatherford, Cleburne, Waxahachie County, Tarrant County, Dallas County, Hood County, and Johnson County, as well as throughout the U.S.