Dallas Logging Truck Accident Attorney
Logging trucks haul millions of loads of logs on Texas’s roadways and highways each year. If you have a vehicle in Dallas or elsewhere in the state, you have probably seen one of those logging trucks earlier this week.
While logging trucks are a vital element of our state economy, the biggest problem with these trucks is that many of them are poorly maintained, dangerously overloaded, and driven by unqualified and inexperienced truckers. Not to mention that many of these logging trucks in Dallas do not carry adequate insurance to cover your losses and damages in the event of a logging truck accident.
Negligent loading of the logs
“The most common cause of road accidents involving logging trucks is negligent loading and securing of the logs,” says our Dallas logging truck accident attorney at the Law Office of Dorothy Hyde.
Loading and securing the logs is an art in itself because the logs are rarely symmetrical and identical. When loads in cargo differ in size and weight, there is a likelihood that these logs could roll or become unstable while driving, not to mention that logs that were not loaded and secured properly can hang off the end of the truck, limiting the truck driver’s visibility, and can come loose and slam into the windshields of other vehicles.
In other cases, improperly loaded or secured cargo on logging trucks can become unbalanced and cause the truck to tip over when turning.
Causes of logging truck accidents
Because logging trucks are the most unstable trucks on our roads and because there is a high risk of negligent loading and securing of the logs on logging trucks, truck drivers and trucking companies operating these trucks must take extra caution to ensure that their loads are properly loaded and secure, while the vehicles are properly maintained.
Besides improperly loaded logs, these are other common causes of logging truck accidents in Dallas and elsewhere in Texas:
- Failure to obey traffic rules
- Speeding
- Making unsafe lane changes
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Truck driver fatigue or falling asleep while driving
- Drunk or drugged driving
- Distracted driving
- Inadequate training
- Lack of qualification
- Reckless driving
- Poorly maintained logging truck
- Overloaded trucks and
- Improperly secured loads
Federal requirements for logging trucks
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has very strict and specific rules and requirements for securing and loading logging trucks. “Failure to follow these rules and requirements makes the truck driver, his or her trucking company, and other parties negligent and liable for any resulting damages and losses,” explains our experienced logging truck accident attorney in Dallas.
Under the FMCSA rules for logging trucks, the logs cannot exceed specific size, weight and length requirements. These logs can be transported only on trucks that have been specifically designed and built for the transportation of logs, which must be secured by using tie-downs, load stabilization bunks, and other tools in a way to prevent rolling, shifting, falling, and otherwise moving while being transported.
In order to determine fault in a logging truck crash, you will need to consult with a skilled truck accident lawyer. Much will depend on whether or not the logs were negligently secured and loaded and who was responsible for loading, securing, supervising, and inspecting the logs.
Schedule a free consultation with our attorneys from the Law Office of Dorothy Hyde to establish fault in your case. Call our offices at (214) 883-1700 today.