Trucking Company Liability Claims

Standing Up to Dangerously Negligent Trucking Companies

Not all truck accidents are caused solely by the mistakes of the truck driver in the collision. In many situations, some negligence can be traced back to the parent trucking company that sent that trucker onto the road. Bringing a personal injury claim against a trucking company is far different than suing an individual trucker, though. If you are not prepared for the tough opposition put forward by the trucking company, then your claim could be in jeopardy before it even begins.

To give yourself the power and authority to take on the trucking company that caused your crash, come to Murray & Murray. Our Sandusky trucking company liability claims lawyers have decades of collective legal experience, and our firm has been around since 1931. All of our insight becomes your advantage when you let us represent and guide you.

Start your claim with confidence. Call our firm at (419) 664-3711 now.

How a Trucking Company Becomes Liable

Virtually every truck driver on the highways around Ohio is employed by or working for a parent trucking company. Other than paying a trucker to complete transportation runs, trucking companies actually have a great amount of influence over how safely those deliveries are carried out. When a trucking company misuses its influence or otherwise ignores accepted safety standards, it can increase the likelihood of a devastating truck accident, which could make them assume some of the liability.

A few ways trucking companies can be found liable for a truck accident are:

• Overscheduling: Even when a trucker is only an independent contractor working with a trucking company, the company has a lot of say regarding what deliveries are done and when. In other words, a trucking company effectively creates the daily and weekly driving schedule for a trucker. If a truck driver is forced to work long hours due to overscheduling and they become dangerously exhausted behind the wheel, then some of the liability could fall on the trucking company for its unreasonable scheduling.
• Uncareful hiring methods: Truck companies decide directly who works for them or who hauls cargo under their name. Only experienced and responsible truckers should be hired. Failing to run adequate background checks on truck drivers who later cause a crash puts liability on the trucking company. For example, a trucker with a long history of drunk driving convictions should not be employed to drive a commercial truck under most circumstances.
• Inadequate training sessions: When an inexperienced truck driver is hired, the parent trucking company should put in a reasonable effort to train them, as any other employer would with a new hire. Trucking companies often try to shirk this responsibility by saying that independent contractors should train themselves on their own time, or that anyone with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) has already proved their ability to operate a commercial big rig.
• Poor fleet maintenance: Trucking companies that own their fleet of trucks and rent or lease them to truckers have an inherent responsibility to either provide repairs for those vehicles or ensure that truckers are performing routine maintenance on them. If a vehicle defect causes a crash and it is found that the trucking company made no reasonable effort to keep that truck maintained, then they could be the one paying for the resulting damages.

Attorneys Willing to Go the Extra Mile

Taking a truck accident claim against a trucking company is difficult but it does not need to be intimidating. When you allow our Sandusky truck accident liability lawyers to manage your claim, you can be confident that each step is done in your best interests. We represent each client as if we were representing ourselves, just as our law firm has done for close to a century. In fact, it is this personalized and professional approach to casework that has allowed us to stay as a legal staple in Ohio for so long!

To get more information about the legal services provided by our law firm, please contact us at any time.