Semi-trucks are large and difficult to operate. Commercial drivers need special licenses to ensure they can handle these massive and potentially deadly vehicles safely. The companies that provide commercial transportation services also need to ensure that they provide adequate training for their drivers and prioritize proper maintenance of fleet vehicles.
After all, semi-trucks are sometimes the underlying cause of some of the most serious collisions that occur. For example, a multi-vehicle pileup on a highway might begin with a semi-truck jackknifing. The trailer swings out of control, and the truck driver ends up blocking all oncoming lanes of traffic with significant consequences for other people.
The others affected by a jackknife incident and the collisions that follow may question who is ultimately to blame. There are several parties who may have a degree of liability for a jackknife incident involving a semi-truck.
The driver may be at fault
Many jackknife incidents are the result of commercial drivers failing to monitor their trailers and properly control their vehicles. The trailer comes out of alignment with the cab, and by the time the driver realizes, they have already lost control. Choices such as taking curves and turns too quickly or succumbing to highway hypnosis instead of consistently monitoring the trailer could lead to a preventable jackknife incident.
The transportation company could be to blame
There are several ways in which transportation companies might increase the risk of a jackknife incident. Sometimes, the maintenance of the vehicle plays a role. Deferring certain repairs might mean that the truck driver loses control in traffic when they might be able to prevent the jackknife incident with a truck in better condition. Inadequate training and improper screening of applicants could also make a trucking company at least partially responsible for a jackknife incident.
Client businesses can also cause preventable wrecks
Some jackknife incidents occur in part because of poorly-loaded and imbalanced trailers. In scenarios where the client who hired the transportation company does not disclose the presence of fluid contents or loads the trailer unevenly, the driver could lose control while going around a curve or turning the truck. In cases where an improperly-loaded trailer is to blame, outside companies may ultimately be at least partially at fault for a jackknife incident. Although many jackknife incidents occur when the roads are slick or wind speeds are high, they are largely preventable with better driving and business practices.
Determining who is at fault for a semi-truck crash is the first step toward demanding accountability. A party that helped cause a crash may be liable for the costs the collision generates.