Due to the dangers that come with the sheer size and weight of a truck, certain regulations govern the commercial trucking industry. And when these regulations are broken, collisions are more likely to occur. You may use such a violation as leverage for your personal injury claim. Read on to discover how a broken trucking regulation can impact your case and how one of the seasoned Panama City truck accident attorneys at Manuel & Thompson, PA can help develop your legal strategy.

What are common examples of broken trucking regulations?

Trucking companies and truck drivers are expected to abide by both federal and state regulations. Unfortunately, when negligence is involved, these regulations may be violated. Examples of commonly broken trucking regulations are as follows:

  • Truck drivers drive more than 11 hours per day, or take less than a 34-hour break during a six- to eight-day workweek, to meet their tight deadlines.
  • Truck drivers partake in powerful amphetamines and other types of narcotics to stay awake during their shifts.
  • Truck companies overload their trucks at more than 80,000 pounds, or drivers do not stop at the required stations to confirm the weight of their load.
  • Truck companies do not require their drivers to undergo the necessary training before hitting the roads.
  • Truck companies do not conduct routine inspections and maintenance of their trucks before letting their drivers hit the roads.

How can a broken regulation impact my personal injury case?

Say, for instance, that you were made a victim of an auto accident that involved a commercial truck. Well, while you are still at the scene of your accident, you must collect evidence that points to the factors that led to your collision. In other words, you must pinpoint whether a certain trucking violation was broken.

Identifying a broken trucking regulation is important for your personal injury case because it may allow you to argue that a trucking company, or one of its drivers, was acting negligently. And negligence is a key argument that you must make as the plaintiff. So, your evidence will have to argue that the following circumstances are true:

  1. A trucking company held a duty of care before clearing one of its drivers or trucks to hit the road, or a truck driver held a duty of care before getting behind the wheel.
  2. A trucking company or truck driver breached their duty by violating a certain federal or state trucking regulation.
  3. A trucking company’s or truck driver’s breach of duty led to your auto collision.
  4. You sustained serious injuries and damages as a direct result of this auto collision.

You should not have to go through your personal injury claim proceedings alone. Rather, you should seek the assistance of one of the competent Panama City auto accident attorneys from Manuel & Thompson, PA. Contact our firm today.