Failure to Maintain Commercial Trucks

Commercial trucks require regular and careful maintenance to be deemed safe for use on public roads and highways. If a trucking company fails to properly maintain its fleet, everyone else is put in undue danger of being hurt in a truck accident. If you were injured in such a collision, there is a high chance that inadequate maintenance standards played a part in what happened. Allow our Columbus truck accident attorneys at Rourke & Blumenthal to get to the bottom of your accident. We have more than 150 years of combined legal experience we can use to pinpoint the cause of your accident, and use our knowledge to pursue maximum compensation on your behalf.

Regular Maintenance Schedules Keep Everyone Safe

You might not have a mandatory maintenance schedule for your automobile but trucking companies do. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has dedicated their group to officially establishing what is and is not safe practice for all things related to commercial trucks on American highways.

This includes determining how often an 18-wheeler needs to be inspected, maintained, and replaced. It must be considered that if a poorly maintained truck was not a hazard, the maintenance regulations would not exist in the first place. Therefore, a trucking company that does not put in the proper effort to safely maintain its fleet is willfully exposing other motorists to harm.

Most trucks will require frequent maintenance in the form of:

• Tire pressure checks
• Brake system checks
• Steering column realignment
• Checking cargo bed strength
• Checking individual axle strength
• Headlight and taillight replacement

Without routine maintenance, the consequences could be:

• Blown-out tires
• Total brake failure
• Tipping due to freight shifting
• Truck body collapses as axles snap

Everything about a failing commercial truck is dangerous. The driver is put at risk of injury, as are cars next to the large vehicle as it careens out of control. To not do everything they can to prevent this outcome, trucking companies could be found liable for any resulting damage.

Maintaining Your Wellbeing Through Legal Action

Even when it seems clear to you that a poorly maintained commercial truck caused your injuries, the trucker and their parent company will surely try to see things differently. You must expect and prepare for a serious legal battle, possibly against a team of defense attorneys. What they will not foresee is you coming to court with a team of your own—the highly knowledgeable and aggressive Columbus truck accident attorneys of Rourke & Blumenthal.