Tallahassee Truck Accident Lawyer

Your Rights. Your Lawyer.

Interstate 10 runs through Tallahassee, Florida. Mr. Milles has represented those injured in trucking accidents on I-10. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 3,757 people died in collisions with trucks in 2011. Mr. Milles has been a lawyer for over 15 years. As a Tallahassee truck accident attorney, Mr. Milles has experience in holding negligent trucking companies accountable. Distracted driving, following too close, texting while driving, and driving while talking on cell phone all contribute to avoidable traffic accidents.

Who Is Responsible for a Truck Accident?

Truck accident claims may involve one or more defendants. In many cases, the driver is responsible for causing a truck accident. However, additional defendants in a case might include: 

• The trucking company. Trucking companies can be responsible for an accident if they fail to properly train drivers or hire drivers who are not qualified to operate a commercial vehicle. Other ways trucking companies can be responsible for a wreck include poor maintenance practices or operating commercial vehicles that are not safe for use. 
• Loading companies. Commercial trucks can experience roll-over accidents when loads shift in transit. Cargo loading companies must load these multi-ton vehicles very carefully and within certain guidelines. 
• Auto parts manufacturers. Like with regular passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles can suffer from dangerous defects. If a commercial auto parts manufacturer releases a dangerous product, they can be liable for damages caused by that product. 
• Government entities. Government agencies may move supplies and materials in large vehicles. These entities may cause accidents for many of the same reasons private entities cause accidents. 

Whether you can seek compensation against a trucking company depends on the circumstances. Our Florida truck accident attorney can help you review your situation after an accident. Contact us for a free consultation. 

Trucking Laws and Regulations

There are many reasons truck accidents occur but one of the most common reasons is fatigued driving. Truck drivers are often overworked. In general, the faster truckers drive to a location the cheaper it is for the trucking company which resulted in trucking companies putting a large amount of pressure on truck drivers to work long hours on little sleep. Policy makers recognized that this was an issue and implemented laws that regulate trucking companies and their drivers both on and off the road. 

One of these such rules is called the hours of service regulation. This set of laws seek to prevent fatigued driving by ensuring that truck drivers are not overworked and get an adequate amount of sleep and rest each day. According to this law:

• Truck drivers can work a maximum of 14 hours a day. Of these 14 hours truckers can only drive for 11 hours, with the remaining time spent on rest or meal breaks
• Truck drivers must rest for at least 10 consecutive hours before starting a new workday
• Truck drivers are required to take days off work at regular intervals

While laws can be put in place, people can of course break them. Unfortunately, whether due to truck driver negligence or pressure from the trucking companies these rules are not always followed which can lead to accidents on the road. Our firm can conduct a thorough investigation into your claim to see if any of these regulations were broken at the time of the accident.  Have questions? Contact our firm for help today.