Florida continues to rank exceedingly high among jurisdictions involving semi-trucks and/or tractor trailer accidents. Semi-truck accidents account for nearly 400,000 accidents each year among our nation’s roadways which result in nearly 4000 deaths. Our Tampa trucking attorneys focus a significant portion of their practice litigating injury cases involving semi-trucks and have become quite familiar with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. We remain dedicated to representing individuals who have been involved in a Tampa trucking accident.
Motor carriers are routinely under very stringent deadlines in which they must transport and deliver their cargo or freight. Because of the stringent deadlines under which motor carriers are required to operate, they often times lose focus upon meeting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations or, unfortunately, simply choose to ignore those requirements. Truck drivers or more commonly referred to as CDL (Commercial driver’s license) operators can be disqualified based upon receiving certain driving infractions, including violations when driving non-commercial vehicles such as their personal family vehicles. In those situations, the truck driver will routinely not report the violation to their employer and will continue to drive despite the fact their CDL should be suspended. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require employers to conduct annual and periodic reviews of their employees’ driving history to ensure compliance and to ensure their drivers have not received any traffic citations.
Our attorneys know what documents exist, or should exist, to ensure motor carriers have followed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Based upon certain criteria and unique factors, the motor carrier and/or employer could be responsible for punitive damages, as well compensatory damages based upon their lack of compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Should you have any questions regarding Florida trucking accidents and/or Florida trucking regulations, please contact us, your Tampa Personal Injury Attorney.