Florida Truck Driver Error Attorneys

For the driver of a passenger vehicle, sharing the road with a large truck -- sometimes known as a semi, big rig or tractor trailer -- can be intimidating. Large trucks' size alone poses challenges to their drivers and the motorists around them: they take up more space, need more following distance and allow drivers to see less of the road than the typical private passenger car or truck. The heavy winds they sometimes leave in their wake can literally push lighter vehicles around. And when large trucks crash into smaller autos, the result is almost always devastating for the smaller vehicles -- regardless of who was at fault. Because a large truck can weigh more than ten times as much as a car, colliding with a big truck brings the weight of many cars at once crashing down onto the other vehicle at high speeds. That's why, in 2005, more than three-fourths of the deaths in large truck crashes were sustained by occupants of other vehicles, according to statistics from the Federal Department of Transportation.

The National Transportation Safety Board reports that driver fatigue is a factor in as many as 40 percent of all truck accidents. That's why the federal government has laws that regulate how many hours a trucker may drive in a day and how much he or she must rest during a trip. Unfortunately, as every driver knows, delays like traffic, weather or accidents often come up. For truck drivers with tight delivery schedules and their employers, who face competitive pressure, those delays aren't just annoyances -- they're financial threats. Under pressure to meet unrealistic schedules, a few drivers even turn to illegal stimulants like methamphetamines to stay awake. Faced with a choice between safety and on-time delivery, some drivers and trucking companies choose to maximize their profits by ignoring the law, putting the innocent motorists they share the roads with in danger.

Driving a truck is a challenging task that requires special training and careful attention to detail. Truckers carrying hazardous cargo, heavy loads and trailers need special training and special licenses. Unfortunately, evidence is growing that not all commercial truck drivers get the training they're legally required to have. A 2007 investigative report by the Chicago Tribune found that thousands of unqualified truck drivers across 24 states were driving with fraudulent truck licenses. Lured by the promise of a well-paying job, some drivers bribe their way through commercial trucking schools that are little more than "diploma mills"; trucking companies turn a blind eye in order to get access to cheap labor. As a result, the Federal government has identified 15,000 suspicious truck licenses -- licenses that belong to unqualified drivers who remain on American roads.

Drivers of large trucks cause a disproportionate number of deadly big rig accidents. The Federal Department of Transportation has found that while large trucks accounted for just three percent of registered vehicles in 2005, they were involved in 12 percent of the nation's traffic accident deaths. If you or someone you love was a victim of an accident caused by negligent, irresponsible trucker or trucking company, you have the right to hold them legally liable for their actions. An experienced Jacksonville truck accident attorney like the professionals at Farah and Farah can help you collect money to cover funeral expenses, medical bills, lost income, lifelong disability or pain and suffering. But you should move fast -- accidents are a part of a trucking company's business, and unscrupulous ones may act quickly to destroy evidence. For a free consultation with a Jacksonville Florida truck accident lawyer, call our Jacksonville office today.