Large trucks are defined as having a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds. Semi-trucks, tractor trailers and big rigs are typically 67-75 feet long and usually weigh around 80,000 pounds. Consumer vehicles, such as cars, trucks and SUVs, weigh considerably less, 2500-6500 pounds. Obviously, when a large truck is involved in an accident with a consumer vehicle the results are catastrophic.

Large Truck Statistics for 2005:

• 4,932 Large Trucks Were Involved in Fatal Crashes
• Sadly, There Were 5,212 Fatalities in Crashes Involving Large Trucks
• There Were 139,772 Large Trucks Involved in Non-Fatal Crashes
• There Were 60,617 Large Trucks Involved in Injury Crashes
• Unfortunately, There Were 91,824 Injuries in Crashes Involving Large Trucks
• There were 79,155 Large Trucks Involved in Tow-a-way Crashes
• There were 2,371 Large Trucks Involved in Hazmat (HM) Placard Crashes

Understanding commercial vehicle regulations on both the federal and state levels are essential in handling large truck accident cases.

Trucking companies are required to follow Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations concerning their equipment and their drivers’ hours of service. In the State of Ohio, the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, is charged with the task of adopting regulations regarding the safety of motor carriers. (O.R.C. Ann. § 4501.02).

Causes of Large Truck Accidents  

A common problem in large truck accidents is driver fatigue, as hours of service regulations are routinely violated. Careful examination of records after an accident involving a large truck often shows serious and even fraudulent violations of those safety regulations. However, trucking companies are only required to maintain many of those records for only six months. Without obtaining those records before they are destroyed, the task of proving the trucking company’s negligence is much more difficult.
Another common cause of large truck accidents is speeding. Since a commercial driver’s livelihood depends on maintaining an operators’ license, these drivers are less likely than drivers of other motor-vehicles to have previous suspensions or revocations due to intoxication. Their main objective is to get from one destination to another. As a result, almost 30% of all large truck drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2000 had at least one prior speeding conviction, compared to just under 20% of passenger car drivers involved in fatal crashes.

Other causes include:

• Pressure on Driver to Deliver Items on Time
• Improper Truck Maintenance
• Improper Tire Maintenance
• Breaking Problems
• Driver Error
• Overloading

 What can I do?

There are many factors that may contribute to large truck accidents. As in all motor-vehicle accident cases, it is essential that measures be taken to promptly preserve evidence to help investigators determine negligence and responsibility. The best way to achieve this goal is to have photographs taken of all visible injuries and damage to vehicles at the scene of the accident. If you have sustained injuries, physicians and other experts can utilize this information to thoroughly evaluate your medical condition and these visual documents can help investigators determine the cause of the collision.

Have you, or a loved one have been the victim of an accident involving a large truck?

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