Generally, for a party to be held guilty and required to pay compensation, it must be proven that a party was negligent. The truck driver might be proven negligent because the driver was speeding or otherwise violating traffic laws. For a trucking company, there are other methods of proving negligence. Essentially, a trucking company can be held negligent if the company has violated various safety rules and regulations that ensure commercial big rig trucks operate safely on Maryland roads and highways. For example, trucking companies must ensure that all trucks are in good repair and in proper maintenance. Further, under federal and Maryland State trucking regulations, there is a heightened level of maintenance. Violation of these maintenance standards can make the trucking company legally liable to pay compensation even in the absence of other facts.

As a related example, trucking companies can be independently liable for an auto accident if they violate other safety rules and regulations. Specific examples include violation of rules with respect to:

• Inspections
• Cargo weight and towing limits
• Restrictions on routing
• Proper loading and tie-downs
• Extra required safety equipment
• Carrying hazardous materials
• And more

A final example involves various rules and regulations about drivers. Trucking companies have obligations to ensure that their drivers obey regulations involving such matters as sleep and rest schedules, alcohol and/or drug use, etc. If trucking companies fail to monitor and enforce such regulations, they can be held legally liable for accidents involving their trucks. Other ways that trucking companies can be deemed independently negligent include:

• Wrongful hiring – the driver was not qualified
• Wrongful retention – the driver should have been fired
• Failure to properly train drivers
• Failure to discipline (or terminate) drivers who breach safety regulations
• Ignoring driver health issues
• Falsification of driver logs
• And more

Contact Waldorf, MD Personal Injury Attorney Robert Castro Today

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Personal Injury lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601.