Have you ever wondered, “How do our roadways handle all those massive trucks carrying up to 80,000 pounds of cargo?” That’s a good question. Trucks are one of many culprits responsible for the formation of potholes, cracked pavement, and a plethora of other poor road conditions that cause motor vehicle accidents in Missouri and all across the nation.
As you can imagine, overweight and overloaded trucks only exacerbate the problem. But the formation of potholes and cracks in the pavement are not the only danger posed by overloaded trucks.
“Trucks that transport more weight than these trucks and our roads can handle also increases the likelihood of an overloaded truck accident,” says our truck accident lawyer Kansas City at Mayer & Rosenberg, P.C.
More often than not, trucks carrying more cargo than allowed by federal law also fail to properly secure their cargo so that they can fit as many materials and packages as possible. Overloading a truck and improperly securing cargo are one of the most common causes of truck crashes in Missouri and all across the U.S.
There are strict federal regulations that prohibit truckers and trucking companies from overloading their trucks in an attempt to reduce the number of motor vehicle accidents caused by overloaded and improperly loaded trucks. Unfortunately, not all trucking companies comply with these regulations, endangering the lives of their truck drivers and other motorists.
After all, an overloaded truck is more likely to spill its cargo, tip over, and rollover, not to mention that the cargo on an overloaded truck is more likely to come loose and slam other vehicles’ windshields.
Under the federal regulations imposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), large trucks are not allowed to carry more than 20,000 pounds per axle. There are more than 700 weigh stations in Missouri and all across the U.S. designed to ensure that trucks comply with the federal weight requirements imposed by the FMCSA.
“As you may have guessed, not all truck drivers and trucking companies use these weigh stations to ensure that they are following the rules,” says our overloaded truck accident lawyer in Kansas City.
Overloaded trucks pose a series of dangers and can cause preventable truck accidents. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of dangers posed by overloaded trucks:
Although the fact that a truck is overloaded plays a major role in motor vehicle accidents involving overloaded trucks, there are many other factors that could contribute to the problem. These factors include but are not limited to speeding, poor vehicle maintenance, truck driver fatigue, drunk or drugged driving, and many more.
If you have been injured in a truck accident and have reason to suspect that the truck was overloaded, you may want to speak to a skilled truck accident lawyer to determine liability and seek compensation for your economic and non-economic damages and losses. Schedule a free consultation with our attorneys at Mayer & Rosenberg, P.C., to discuss your legal case.
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