How Do FMCSA Rules Help My Truck Accident Claim?

If you were injured in a truck accident, you may be wondering how FMCSA rules may help your truck accident claim. These safety regulations, which are enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), set strict rules for commercial drivers and trucking companies, and when those rules are broken, it often qualifies as negligence.

Proving that a truck driver or company broke FMCSA regulations can make a huge difference in your case. A Los Angeles truck accident lawyer can help gather evidence that supports your claim and pursue the compensation you are owed.

What Are FMCSA Rules?

The FMCSA is a federal agency responsible for regulating the commercial trucking industry in the United States. Its rules are designed to keep highways safe by holding trucking companies and drivers to strict safety standards. Some of the most important FMCSA rules regulate:

• Hours of service: Truck drivers are required to follow limits on how long they can drive without rest. These rules aim to prevent fatigue, which is one of the leading causes of serious truck crashes.
• Vehicle maintenance and inspections: Commercial trucks must be regularly inspected and properly maintained. Failure to follow maintenance schedules or correct known issues can lead to brake failures, tire blowouts, or steering problems.
• Driver qualification standards: Truck drivers must hold a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL) and meet physical and training requirements. This ensures only qualified and capable drivers operate large commercial vehicles.
• Drug and alcohol testing: The FMCSA enforces strict testing procedures to ensure that drivers are not impaired while on duty.
• Cargo securement: FMCSA rules dictate how loads must be tied down and balanced to prevent cargo from shifting or falling during transport.

How FMCSA Violations Lead to Truck Accidents

Truck accidents often occur when companies or drivers cut corners to save time or money. Ignoring FMCSA rules can create dangerous conditions that put everyone on the road at risk. Common examples include:

• Fatigued driving: A driver who exceeds hours-of-service limits may fall asleep at the wheel, drift into other lanes, or react too slowly to traffic.
• Poor maintenance: Skipping safety inspections or delaying repairs can cause sudden mechanical failures.
• Unqualified drivers: Hiring or retaining drivers without the proper credentials or experience can lead to serious safety violations.
• Improperly loaded cargo: A poorly secured or unbalanced load can make a truck unstable, causing rollovers or loss of control.

How FMCSA Rules Can Help Your Truck Accident Lawsuit

If you were injured in a truck accident, FMCSA rules can strengthen your legal claim. These regulations create a framework for determining whether a trucking company or driver acted responsibly or violated federal safety standards. These rules can help your lawsuit by:

• Establishing a duty of care: FMCSA regulations set clear safety expectations. When a trucking company or driver breaks these rules, it shows they failed to uphold their legal duty to operate safely.
• Helping prove negligence: In many cases, violating a safety regulation automatically establishes negligence. If the violation contributed to your accident, it can make liability easier to prove.
• Supporting evidence collection: FMCSA compliance records like logbooks, inspection reports, and maintenance files can reveal whether a company followed the law. These records often expose falsified logs or ignored maintenance warnings.
• Highlighting corporate responsibility: Trucking companies are required to monitor their drivers and ensure compliance. If a company allowed unsafe practices to continue, it can be held directly liable for negligence.
• Strengthening your negotiating position: When your attorney demonstrates that FMCSA violations led to the crash, it puts pressure on the trucking company and its insurer to settle rather than risk losing in court.

Evidence That Can Prove FMCSA Violations

Uncovering FMCSA violations often requires an in-depth investigation. Trucking companies and insurers typically control most of the records, so acting quickly after an accident is crucial. Evidence that can prove violations includes:

• Driver logbooks and electronic logging device (ELD) data: These records show how long the driver was behind the wheel and whether they violated hours-of-service limits.
• Inspection and maintenance reports: These documents reveal whether the company kept the truck in safe operating condition.
• Employment and training records: These can show whether the driver was properly licensed and trained to operate the vehicle.
• Drug and alcohol testing results: Post-accident test results may uncover impairment that violated FMCSA’s substance policies.
• Load manifests and cargo records: These can help determine whether cargo was secured according to FMCSA rules.

Your attorney can subpoena these records and work with accident reconstruction experts to identify which violations occurred and how they contributed to the crash.

How Does Liability Work When FMCSA Rules Are Violated?

In car accidents, proving negligence often comes down to witness statements and traffic laws. But truck accidents involve an entirely different layer of complexity. FMCSA rules make it possible to hold multiple parties accountable—not just the driver. Potentially liable parties can include:

• The truck driver: The driver can be held responsible for directly violating FMCSA rules, such as by falsifying logs or driving past allowable hours.
• The trucking company: The company can be liable for pressuring drivers to meet unrealistic delivery deadlines or failing to enforce safety standards.
• Maintenance contractors: Contractors can be held liable for neglecting required inspections or repairs.
• Cargo loaders: Loaders can be held responsible for improperly securing freight in violation of FMCSA cargo standards.

Types of Compensation You Can Pursue

When FMCSA violations lead to a crash, you can seek several forms of compensation, including:

• Medical expenses: You can recover the costs of hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, and ongoing medical treatment.
• Lost wages: You can claim compensation for income you lost due to missed work or reduced earning ability.
• Pain and suffering: You can pursue damages for the physical and emotional toll of the accident.
• Property damage: You can recover the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and other damaged property.
• Punitive damages: You can seek additional damages if the trucking company’s violation was particularly reckless or intentional.

Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer

When FMCSA rules are violated, it’s often a clear sign of negligence. A truck accident lawyer from J&Y Law can help uncover any violations that occurred in your accident and tie them to your injuries to strengthen your claim.

Schedule a free consultation to discuss your case today.