The trucking industry must adhere to certain standards, which have been established by state and federal laws. Personal Injury Lawyer in Medicine Hat know that some of those same laws apply to any accident involving a semi-truck, a big rig or a commercial truck.
Rules that apply to various members of trucking industry
The truck’s driver must have a commercial license. Any driver that has managed to earn such a license is over the age of 18, has a good driving record, and has passed a special driving test.
The same driver should be taking regular breaks. In other words, he or she should enjoy limited hours of required service. The completion of required service entails operation of the commercial vehicle on the road or highway.
A shipper does not get to decide how many boxes or crates to place in a given truck’s trailer. The number of axles on the combination of cab and trailer determines the maximum size of the load that that can be transported in the same vehicle.
Each part used in a commercial truck must have passed a quality control inspection. If a mechanic or operator of a facility that serviced trucks were to allow the installation of a part that had not past such an inspection, then he or she could be charged with commission of a negligent action.
Any trucking company that has arranged for some of its vehicles to haul some form of hazardous waste must follow certain special laws. Those laws explain what features must be on the container that will be holding the hazardous waste. Furthermore, the driver must understand the load’s hazardous nature.
What claims might be made by the injured victim of an accident that had involved one or more trucks?
That same victim might be able to pursue a claim of negligence per se. If the truck’s driver had broken a law, and then had helped to cause the accident, a personal injury lawyer could assist with the submission of such a claim.
In some cases, the victim of such an accident would have a reason to pursue a claim of vicarious liability. The target of a suit based on vicarious liability could be a company that had employed the driver, or the company that had employed a worker that had carried out a negligent action.
A negligent action would be one that had been made in a careless or neglectful manner. If that same action had contributed in some way to the factors that had caused a given accident, then an injured victim of the same accident could base a personal injury claim on proof of a negligent action, one that had been carried out by the opposing party.