Chicago Truck Accident Lawyers

Cook County injury lawyers serving all of Illinois

Truck driver fatigue

Trucking companies often pay by the mile or the load, so drivers of 18 wheelers may drive to cover their routes quickly and unsafely. This aspect of trucking industry policy encourages dangerously excessive hours behind the wheel. Work hours are defined as on-duty time, which includes driving, loading and conducting maintenance—working with the semi-truck in any way. Federal law establishes Hours-of-Service regulations for drivers of large trucks.

• 14-hour duty limit (10 hours of rest after 14 consecutive hours of on-duty time)
• 11-hour driving limit (10 hours of rest after 11 total driving hours)
• 60/70-hour duty limit (maximum of 60 on-duty hours in seven days or 70 on-duty hours in eight days)

Truck drivers who feel pressured to fulfill their company's shipping goals may choose to disregard these federal limits. When the truck accident attorneys in Chicago at the Blumenshine Law Group suspect driver fatigue has contributed to a trucking accident, we look for evidence of:

• Missing logbooks
• Falsified logbook entries
• Tampering with automated log systems

Every Chicago truck accident lawyer at our firm works swiftly to examine the driver log books, as they are only required to be kept for six months. When our attorneys find that a truck driver has exceeded the Hours-of-Service limits or misrepresented work hours in any way, we aggressively pursue compensation for injuries caused by your collision.

Lack of training

18 wheelers and semi-trucks are not easy to operate. In fact, these metal behemoths require special training. To save money and time, trucking companies may fail to provide drivers with proper training, or worse yet, may hire inexperienced drivers. In the hands of an unskilled driver, an 18 wheeler can injure or even kill. If you or someone you love is injured by an improperly trained truck driver in Chicago or throughout Illinois, contact a tractor trailer accident attorney in Chicago at our law firm.

Defective trucking equipment

Trucking companies have an obligation to provide drivers with semi-trucks in proper working order, and truck drivers are expected to routinely inspect the trucks and their loads to ensure safety. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations require truck drivers, prior to beginning a trip, to inspect:

At the end of a trip, drivers must re-examine these items, as well as the wheels, rims and emergency equipment. Any defects must be noted in the post-trip inspection report and promptly corrected by the trucking company. When unsafe equipment was a factor in the tractor trailer or trucking accident that caused your injuries, our Chicago trucking accident lawyers worked to discover the lapse in protocol that allowed the defect to go unnoticed or unaddressed.

Get compensation for your devastating truck accident injuries

Our Chicago law firm helps you get compensated for the traumatic injuries you received in a trucking accident. We pursue cases vigorously and seek the maximum possible settlement or award. For a free consultation about your truck accident injury claim, contact the Blumenshine Law Group. We help people in Chicago, Cook County and nearby Illinois counties, including DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, LaSalle, McHenry, Will, Lake and Kendall.