How are trucks and truck drivers enforced by safety regulations?

Question:  Whichfederal agencies regulate trucking safety and how is it enforced?

Response:  If youhave been involved in an accident with a commercial truck or common carrier,you should retain a personal injury attorney. This litigation is more complex than simply asserting violations offederal and/or state trucking regulations – one must be able to prove each andevery one of the several elements of common law negligence.

Ingeneral, the Department of Transportation – through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – setsand enforces the regulationswhich set safety standards for the design,manufacture, and operation of transportation equipment.   The FMCSA regulates the operations ofprivate carriers (e.g., commercial licensing mandates, the number of hours adriver can work without rest, the interstate transport of chemicals and otherhazardous cargoes, the training required for entry-level drivers, etc.).  The FMCSA requires a record be kept on theinspection and repair history of vehicles used in commercial carriage.  Information available on each truckingcompany from their website includes accidents/crashes reported from all states;insurance coverage limits; number of miles driven per year; penalties (each infractionis listed by date and location); and safety inspection results (each inspectionis listed by date, vehicle number and location).

Answered by Jamilla Moore

Additional Resources:

• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

  http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/