Some Texas truck drivers may be aware that in early June, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance held a road safety blitz. The CVSA focused on hours-of-service violations, but fewer than 2 percent of all drivers were taken out of service for this type of violation. “Brake Safety Week” was planned as the focus for a September event.
Of the drivers who were ordered out of service in the June inspections, more than 40 percent had hours-of-service violations. The other top two out-of-service driver violations were false record of duty status and wrong class license. For vehicles, the top out-of-service violations were brake adjustments, tires and wheels, and brake systems.
In all, there were 67,502 roadside inspections. Over 2,600 drivers and nearly 11,900 vehicles were ordered out of service. Other types of out-of-service vehicle violations included suspension, lighting, cargo securement, frame and exhaust. Other types of driver vehicle violations included suspended or expired licenses and drug or alcohol impairment.
A truck driver who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, whose equipment is unsafe or who is engaging in unsafe behaviors such as speeding or driving while fatigued could cause a serious accident. In 18-wheeler accidents, injuries can be catastrophic because of the size of the trucks compared to the other vehicles and some of the things that can happen to are unique to car-truck accidents, such as the car rolling under the truck and having the top sheared off. Trucks may also jackknife and hit other vehicles. When people are injured in these accidents, the driver and the trucking company might both be financially liable. Some injured people may go through months or years of rehabilitation or might be permanently injured, and compensation offered by the trucking company’s insurer might be inadequate to cover the person’s expenses. The injured people may want to file a lawsuit in this case.
