Oakland Truck Accident Lawyers

There are many factors and driver behaviors that lead to the truck accidents described above. Common causes of truck accidents include:

• Speeding – if a truck driver is speeding while approaching congested traffic, the driver will be forced to slam on the brakes, which could cause the trailer to swing and, as a result, a jackknife accident could occur. If the trailer does not swing, a car could still hit the back of the larger truck if the car driver doesn’t slam on his brakes in time, resulting in an underride collision or rear-end collision. Speeding could also cause a runaway trailer crash if the trailer begins moving faster than the truck.
• Distracted driving – if a driver is distracted, they can sometimes rear-end the vehicle in front of them. Distracted driving could also cause the driver to enter traffic at a high speed, causing the driver to slam on the breaks and potentially cause an accident.
• Improper loading – if the driver does not evenly distribute the weight of what they are hauling, it could lead to an unbalanced trailer. This makes it more likely for the truck to inadvertently veer into other lanes. Other possible consequences of improper loading include the trailer tipping over or cargo spilling while the large truck is moving.
• Failing to use caution in inclement weather – as stated earlier, the weight of a large truck poses a significant problem for other drivers because it is much more difficult for a large truck to stop. If a truck driver doesn’t take the proper precautions when driving in inclement weather, the likelihood of an accident is much greater.
• Failure to maintain equipment – if the driver does not go through the proper inspections before getting on the road, everyone else on the road is at serious risk. Tire blowouts, brake failures, or other mechanical failures on a large truck can be catastrophic for other drivers on the road. A truck driver should inspect their vehicle first thing, before they get on the road.
• Fatigued driving – federal hours-of-service regulations allow truck drivers to drive up to 11 hours at a stretch. However, surveys indicate that many drivers violate these rules and work longer than permitted. Sometimes, a driver fails to take a break when they feel fatigued because they need to meet a specific deadline set by the hiring company. Fatigued driving could result in improper lane changes, speeding, falling asleep at the wheel, or other actions that threaten smaller vehicles on the road.