Driver Incompetence’ Category
Fiery Houston UPS Truck Accident Traced to Distracted Driver
Monday, January 16th, 2012
A truck accident involving a UPS tractor-trailer last week is being blamed on a distracted driver. Fortunately, the accident did not result in any injuries, although it did cause an explosion and fire.
According to news reports, the UPS 18-wheeler was traveling northbound on Interstate 45 on its way from Houston to Dallas, when the driver reached out for something in the cab. He was momentarily distracted, and this resulted in the truck swerving near a construction area, and hitting the end of a guardrail. The truck then jackknifed and burst into flames.
The driver of the truck suffered injuries, and...
Legislation to Prevent Drug Use-Related Truck Accidents Introduced in Congress
Thursday, May 26th, 2011
A group of senators have introduced a legislation that aims to reduce the number of truck drivers out there operating 18-wheelers under the influence of drugs. While current federal laws prohibit drivers from operating tractor-trailers under the influence of drugs, there are many loopholes in the current laws that allow such drivers to slip through the cracks.
The legislation called the Safe Roads Act would create a database that includes positive commercial truck driver drug test results. The database would include information from around the country, and would be available to trucking companies. These companies will be able to scan...
Man Killed in Midland County Truck Accident
Thursday, March 17th, 2011
According to Midland County police, a man was killed in an accident involving two tractor trailers last week. The accident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning on FM 1788, South of Hwy. 191. The victim was traveling in a Freightliner tractor-trailer when he turned left in front of a Kenworth FedEx truck. The FedEx struck the side of the Freightliner. The driver of the FedEx sustained fatal injuries in the accident. According to Midland police, charges are pending in this crash.
Most tractor trailer accidents end with injuries and fatalities to the occupants of the smaller...
Houston Tractor Trailer Accident Blamed on Slippery Road
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
An accident involving two tractor-trailers over the weekend is being blamed on wet roads that had been left slippery by a recent bout of rain. The accident occurred in downtown Houston. One tractor-trailer was traveling west on Interstate 10 near Houston Ave. when it slid sideways. Another tractor-trailer then crashed into the first one, sending the first truck into a wall. Neither tractor-trailer driver was injured. Even more fortunately, there were no passenger vehicles nearby that were involved in this accident.
Driving in poor weather or on treacherous roads is often a challenge, especially so for tractor-trailer drivers. It's also...
Federal Agency Rolls out Pre-Employment Screening Website
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Last month, I blogged about the fact that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had launched a website dedicated to providing trucking companies accident and inspection records of potential truck driver candidates. This week, the agency announced that the website is finally online.
Trucking companies will now be able to access truck driver accident records dating back five years, and inspection records dating back three years. Companies with a fleet of more than 100 vehicles are required to pay an annual subscription fee of $100, and an additional charge of $10 for every truck driver record they choose...
What Does It Mean for Texas Truck Drivers to Drive within Speed Limits?
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Truck drivers in Texas are required to drive at safe speeds. That doesn't simply mean that the truck driver must drive at the posted speed limits for commercial motor vehicles. It also means that truck drivers must drive taking into consideration the existing traffic, road and weather conditions.
An accident last week in Texarkana, Texas is being blamed on the failure of a truck driver to stop his vehicle in time to avoid traffic that had slowed down at a construction zone. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the big rig driver was approaching a construction zone on...
Houston Injury Lawyers Support New Website That Promises to Weed out Unsafe Truck Drivers
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Truck drivers in Texas with a bad accident history will not be able to find it as easy to get a new job at a new employer where they can cause more accidents. A new website has just been launched by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and it will allow trucking companies access to constantly updated genuine accident data.
For a small fee, employers can now browse through five years of a driver's accident history and three years of inspection records before they hire him. The data, which is currently being used by the federal...
