The commercial trucking industry gets products to the marketplace, which is certainly an essential service across the U.S. Still, every 80-ton vehicle on busy Los Angeles roadways poses significant risks to other motorists.

A truck accident can involve an extensive analysis of the business factors involved in getting semi-trucks on the road. It is essential for injury victims to count on support from a lawyer with the skills and resources to investigate all factors that contributed to a client’s injuries.

Many Factors Go Into Truck Safety

Both state and federal laws govern virtually every aspect of the trucking industry. The goal of these laws is to reduce the risks of accidents by addressing potential issues such as the following:

• Driver issues, including a lack of training or experience, distracted or intoxicated driving, or exhaustion
• Vehicle issues, including proper inspections to avoid malfunctions on the road and improper cargo loading to help prevent imbalance issues
• Business issues, including creating unrealistic delivery deadlines that cause drivers to take shortcut measures to get their loads to the final destination

To obtain required licenses, trucking companies must adhere to strict ordinances for these and many other issues. However, when accidents occur, extensive investigations are needed to identify the exact causes — which can conceivably involve infractions of numerous regulations, often by unexpected individuals.

Recent DMV Infractions May Have Contributed to 23 Trucking Accidents

Public employees can also play major roles in situations that lead to accidents. As recently as August 11th, the LA Times reported that federal authorities arrested six individuals on charges of conspiring in a truck driver licensing bribery scheme. These arrests mark the latest charges in a scheme that has been under investigation for two years.

Some of the arrested individuals are DMV employees who are alleged to have accepted bribes to issue licenses for truckers who failed to pass their road tests. Trucking school employees were also charged for offering and paying the bribes. Records show that 23 accidents involved some of the drivers who obtained licenses without passing the test.

These arrests illustrate how far an accident investigation must go to fully identify all liable parties for a truck accident, as well as how important it is for truck accident attorneys to remain current on news items that can have a profound effect on their clients' legal cases.

Pursuing Full Compensation Can Require Unusual Information

When determining liability for a trucking accident, it is relatively common for lawyers to conduct investigations into drivers, trucking companies and even repair shops; however it is less common to consider liability on the part of public employees or even truck driving schools.

A knowledgeable Los Angeles truck accident lawyer knows the laws and regulations and also looks out for news items that can alert him or her to important issues related to a client’s claims. For up-to-date legal support, call The Rudman Law Firm, APC toll free at (844) 478-3626 / (844) 4RUDMAN, or at our Los Angeles office (213) 375-3777, or at our Studio City office (818) 769-6969, or use our convenient online.