This photo might seem comical, but only at first. After that, it’s actually quite alarming.
I often write about the truck accidents I litigate as an attorney. Most, of course, are not “accidents” at all. They are preventable. More often than not, there are major violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Rules (FMCSRs), unfit drivers that are allowed to drive, and trucks that are dangerously out of service.
Motor carriers often push truck drivers to violate hours of service driving limit laws, speed to pick up and drop off “hot loads” and they neglect to keep their fleets in safe condition.
Sadly, by ignoring safety, they can then turn around and underbid the truck companies that do play by the rules. Following mandatory safety rules that are meant to protect us all becomes a competitive disadvantage. The incentive is to take more and more shortcuts.
These trucking companies are more concerned with the bottom line than with how many people they might injure or kill. Why should they be?
After all, Michigan has no punitive damages to deter the really bad truck companies from breaking the law and punishing them when they do. So there is no big stick to deter bad behavior, such as when a motor carrier knowingly puts a truck driver with drug or alcohol addiction behind the wheel.
I wonder if the driver of the truck in the picture is under the influence right now? He may be driving his 80,000 pound truck with defective brakes on the same roads that we and our families drive.
Steven,
i have often found these trucks violating the rules. calling that number is waste of time as you go through auto loops and end giving information about yourself that results in junk mails, telemarketing hauntings. it is like: call us to report and we will punish you as you survived our truck!
Do you have any idea of the regulations or the laws that they have to enforce on their employees or their themselves as it is? If the same laws were in place for regular drivers you wouldn’t be seeing nearly as many drivers on the roads. It’s flat out ridiculous. And, do you honestly believe that trucking companies want bad truck drivers? Of course not. It’s bad for business, the premium of their insurance goes way up and it just makes everything easier to have more responsible drivers. Federal laws are beyond tough enough on truckers as it is anyways. I’m sure that the trucking companies in Lethbridge would agree as well URL: “http://www.boottrucking.ca/en/