• Tractor Trailer Truck Driver Fatigue
    How current an issue is tractor trailer truck driver fatigue?

    Truck driver fatigue is a very current issue and has been the subject of recent regulatory activity. Truck driver fatigue is the subject of new regulations issued by the USDOT (U.S. Department of Transportation) through the FMCSA branch, which handles motor carrier (trucking) issues. Pursuant to these rules, a tractor trailer truck driver may only drive 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off. In addition, in order to prevent driver fatiugu ...
    Author: http://www.monheit.com/truck/20041204061023.html
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  • Heavy Truck Accidents and Unneccessary Deaths and Serious Injuries
    How common are injuries from heavy truck accidents?

    An accident involving a heavy truck, 18-wheeler, semi, big tractor-trailer truck, often results in death or serious injury. The statistics are shocking. Over 1 million people were involved in nearly 500,000 large truck related accidents in 1999. That resulted in over 5,000 deaths and over 140,000 injuries. Of those injuries from heavy truck accidents, 10's of thousands involved severe brain damage or the loss of limb. Some trucks weigh over 100,000 lb ...
    Author: http://www.monheit.com/truck/20041205102621.html
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  • Frequently Asked Truck Accident Questions
    What’s the difference between truck accidents and other vehicle accidents?

    Although the same laws of negligence apply, there are special Vehicle Code sections that apply only to commercial truck drivers and trucking companies. Truck drivers also have special licensing and training requirements which generally make truck accidents harder to defend but easier for the plaintiffs to win.

    How do I deal with trucking companies or their insurance carriers after a truck accident?

    The first thi ...
    Author: Michael Monheit, Esquire, Monheit Law, PC
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  • Types of Truck Accidents

    Here are the most common types of truck accidents:

    Truck Brakes Malfunction

    Heavy trucks use air brakes exclusively: Most are drum-like units. Air enters the chamber when the brakes are applied, the push rod moves out turning the slack adjuster which rotates the S-cam and forces the shoes into the drum.

    Brakes are a heat engine, they convert kinetic energy or motion into thermal energy or heat. Suppose a 400-horsepower engine grosses out at 80,000 pounds. The engine can probably get up to 40 mph in 1/4 mile or 1,320 feet. The brakes should be able to stop in ...
    Author: Michael Monheit, Esquire, Monheit Law, PC
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  • Online Resources about Truck Accident Litigation
    Here is a list of helpful links related to truck accidents and the resources to research truck accident related data.

    Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Web-Based Encyclopedia
    Comprehensive site offering a wealth of knowledge based on breakdown of truck related accidents, cause of truck accidents, and injuries/death categorized by state and year.
    http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov

    National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
    Part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), NHTSA is a federal agency for the prevention and control of motor vehicle and truck relat ...
    Author: Michael Monheit, Esquire, Monheit Law, PC
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  • Glossary of Truck Related Terms
    Axle
    Structural component to which wheels, brakes, and suspension is attached. Drive axles are those with powered wheels. Front axle is usually called the steer axle. Pusher axles are not powered and go ahead of drive axles. Rear axles may be drive, tag, or pusher types. Tag axles are not powered and go behind drive axles. Axes may lock causing truck accidents.

    Blind Spot
    Areas around a commercial vehicle not visible to the driver either through the windshield, side windows, or mirrors; a common cause of truck accidents

    Cargo Weight
    The combined weight of all loads, ge ...
    Author: Michael Monheit, Esquire, Monheit Law, PC
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  • Truck Accident Statistics
    In 2003, there were 58,512 total vehicle accidents involved in fatal crashes in the U.S. (NCSA).

    4,669 were large trucks involved in fatal truck accidents.

    Large trucks are more likely to be involved in a fatal multi-vehicle crash than are passenger vehicles.

    Most fatal truck accidents occurred in rural areas (68 percent) during the daytime (66 percent) and on weekdays (78 percent).

    Only 1 percent of fatal truck accidents were DUI-related on the part of the truck driver compared to other types of fatal crashes. Higher DUI occurrences are 22 percent for drivers of ...
    Author: Michael Monheit, Esquire, Monheit Law, PC
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  • Trucking and the Flow of Fuel

    There are many types of fuels besides that gasoline we put in our cars and use to cruise around. It is only the first that come to mind when we think of fuel; “Gasoline” for my car. What about “Diesel Fuel” for trucks? It is a huge amount of fuel. Think how many trucks there are on the road? All the independent truck drivers with those fancy rigs getting just about 5 mile per gallon depending on terrain, loads, speed and wind. Then of course the huge fleets of the grocery chains and giant companies like Wal-Mart. You have Publix, Albertson’s, HEB, Kroger and Piggly Wiggly, which all with en ...
    Author: Lance Winslow
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  • Fuel Prices and Trucking; A Reality Check On What Drives America

    It appears we are having a terrible situation with the diesel fuel prices in the US. It is affecting everything, since everything we buy is shipped by train or truck and most of the times both. We have artificial fuel price manipulation and large trucking companies operating at less than 3% margins. We have seen 100s of medium size trucking companies file bankruptcy and 1000s of small companies file as well between 1999 and 2002 and we appear to be headed for another round here in 2005. This is causing problems in the used truck sales market. We have noticed this affect with used trucks on ...
    Author: Lance Winslow
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  • Truckers Take Some Hits and Keep On Trucking

    After 9-11 insurance rates on Independent Truck Drivers and smaller trucking companies showed an average increase of over 30%. Larger trucking companies are generally self insured, however incessant lawsuits have also hurt them and caused higher self insurance funds causing decreased earnings and thus higher over all shipping rates to the consumer.

    Insurance costs in trucking passed onto consumers and vendors; and after 9-11 there have been many other reasons for high insurance on the businesses, many smaller trucking companies are really hurt by this; and regulations and fuel costs a ...
    Author: Lance Winslow
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  • Car and Trucks Don’t Always Mix

    Truckers often complain about the four-wheelers. That is you and I in our personal automobiles. Trucking accidents were down in 2004 by the number of miles driven per accident. However they were slightly up as 11% more trucks are on the road because the economy picked up and more products had to be delivered to the consumer, that’s us too.

    This is a huge issue of cars mixing with truck traffic and it has been studied to death. Probably due to the deaths, which can result. I can tell you having driven some 500,000 miles around the country in a 72 Foot Indy Car Truck and Trailer that wh ...
    Author: Lance Winslow
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  • 6 Days Is All It Would Take if the Trucks in America Stopped

    Hey World, are you watching what is going on this year with the Trucking Industry? Are you studying the trends, which affect American Business and therefore affect the World Wide markets for every commodity, currency and service known to man? The markets, which drive policy and change, politics and wars? Well what is going on in the transportation sector is nothing short of intense. Fed Ex bought American Freight Ways, also owns Viking and bought RPS previously, now these all make up the Fed Ex Ground Team. Fed Ex has been buying Computerized Custom Clearing houses. Swift Transportations ma ...
    Author: Lance Winslow
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