“Chameleon” Truck Companies: How Bad Truck Drivers Stay on the Road

There are any number of ways that truck drivers and trucking companies can try to cover-up their negligence or avoid responsibility for damages, injuries, or deaths they cause.

For example, trucking companies have been known to falsify their records to hide the fact that their drivers or the company itself violated federal regulations as to driving hours or vehicle inspections and maintenance. Their hope is that if, say, they get sued for negligence because a fatigued and overworked driver killed a family in a horrible accident, the records won’t show that they were in fact breaking the law.

But that’s not the only way drivers and companies try to evade regulators and responsibility.

When truck companies find themselves in trouble with federal regulators, or have been on the receiving side of massive personal injury judgments, they can be forced out of business.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which governs the trucking industry, has the authority to shut down and revoke the licenses of truckers and carriers who are found to repeatedly disregard applicable safety regulations or who have an unacceptable number of accidents and similar incidents.

This is supposed to keep these dangerous trucks off the road. But it doesn’t always work. As this articlediscusses, trucking companies who find themselves in trouble with the law can simply change their name, get a new license number from the FMCSA, and keep on trucking as if nothing has happened.

As the article notes, studies have shown that these so-called “chameleon” truckers are three times more likely to be involved in serious crashes. In a five-year stretch, they were responsible for accidents that killed 217 people and injured 3,500.

When such companies and drivers inevitably cause more tragedies, the slippery ways in which they try to avoid responsibility can make obtaining justice and compensation in trucking accident lawsuits even more complicated. Given the complexities involved in identifying and pursuing claims against the individuals and companies who may be liable in a trucking accident lawsuit, retaining an experienced tractor-trailer accident attorney is essential if you are seeking compensation for your injuries.

The Parian Law Firm, LLC: Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyers

If you have been hurt or a loved one has been killed in a trucking accident, the Atlanta trucking accident lawyers at The Parian Law Firm are ready to help you get the compensation and justice you deserve.  Call us at (770) 727-5550 or chat live online with a member of our staff today.