Trucking Company Negligence | Pennsylvania Truck Accident Attorney
Lancaster Accident Attorneys Point to Employer Negligence as a Cause
Trucking companies know that a semi-tractor trailer can be a lethal giant on our highways. They have a duty to make sure that their employees drive safely and that their equipment is safe to be on our highways. Unfortunately, safety often takes a back seat behind profit, with the result that too many motorists suffer catastrophic injury or death on highways that they share with commercial trucks.
Discuss the Pennsylvania truck accident that caused injury or death in your family. Contact a lawyer at Mikus Law Associates, P.C.
Negligent hiring, training and supervision practices and negligent load issues include the following:
- failing to do an adequate background check on a new driver's:
- driving record, including moving violations
- license suspensions
- drug tests and drug usage history
- criminal record, failure to follow up with references
- the level of training and experience that the driver claims on his/her application)
- accident history
- inadequate review of the driver’s log
- failing to make sure that a driver not only has a CDL (commercial driver’s license) but that he/she is qualified on and experienced with the type of equipment and with the type of load involved on each trip
- looking the other way when drivers fudge on their drivers’ logs to conceal driving in excess of the allowed time limits
- setting unreasonable schedules for loading, delivering and unloading
- establishing a company culture in which profit outweighs safety; and
- failure to require safe loading practices – the load must be properly matched to the tractor and trailer, must not be overweight or oversized and must be properly restrained
Contact Mikus Law Associates, P.C. to schedule a free initial consultation regarding a Pennsylvania truck accident that may have been caused by employer negligence or other instances of negligence.
Negligent equipment practices include:
- failure to require thorough pre-trip inspections
- skimping on or delaying preventive maintenance
- not taking a tractor or a trailer out of service immediately when a pre-trip inspection identifies a problem
- failure to properly match the equipment to the tractor trailer load
- permitting equipment on the road with bad brakes or worn tires
- permitting equipment on the road with inadequate rear or side underride protection
- failing to inspect and maintain lights, reflectors, windshield wipers, defrosters and/or mirrors
Contact Mikus Law Associates to schedule a consultation on how to pursue maximum compensation after a trucking accident.
