According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, large trucks are any medium or heavy trucks having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, excluding buses and RVs.
In California, it is likely that you have already encountered various trucks that are used for hauling goods or materials, moving or towing homes, and delivering and rescuing stuck vehicles if you have taken a stroll anyplace.
To ensure their safety and the safety of other road users, all drivers must generally follow the road rules. In California, truckers are frequently held accountable for collisions involving commercial trucks.
It should be kept in mind, though, that the careless driver is ultimately to blame. You should contact a Los Angeles truck accident attorney for advice on everything related to bringing a personal injury claim for truck accidents.
Is the truck driver always at fault?
No, there are other elements that can contribute to truck accidents in California than the truck driver’s negligence. Driver weariness, driving while drunk or working while impaired, careless driving, impaired driving, poor car maintenance, improper cargo packing, traffic conditions, and sometimes even weather changes can all contribute to vehicle accidents. Not all truck drivers are reckless motorists.
Different Types of Truck Drivers
The following parties may be held accountable for a truck accident in California, depending on how it happened:
- Business proprietor
Owner-operators are those who own and operate their trucks. Owner-operators can be either power-only operators or owners who own both the tractor and the trailer.
The tractor’s owner alone—not the trailer’s owner—is the initial operator. The second operator, on the other side, is the one who possesses both the vehicle and the trailer. Owner-operators, unlike other drivers, pay for their own costs, including occupational injuries insurance, bobtail health coverage, bodily injury insurance, escrow funds for vehicle upkeep, licenses, and other things.
- Business
Within the transportation sector, company drivers are employed by firms like shipping and commercial trucking companies. They receive a constant paycheck, have access to benefits provided by their work, and have regular home time. They are also exempt from paying for gasoline, scales, tolls, lumpers, and upkeep.
- Lease to Own
The hire-purchase driving position is designed for truck drivers who desire to be owner-operators but lack the funds to buy a tractor. A truck driver can pay off the tractor through a leasing program through time spent operating for the transport company. Until the truck is paid off, the driver will continue to make payments.
