Commercial vehicles traveling in and through Pennsylvania transport goods or people for compensation. Venango County residents are used to commercial vehicles coming and going on Interstate 80 with many of them making deliveries to and from local businesses. Commercial vehicles can technically be any type of vehicle used to transport goods or people for compensation, but they are most often large trucks and buses that have significant carrying capacity. The size and weight of these large commercial vehicles are necessary to maximize transportation efficiency, but an unfortunate consequence of these large vehicles operating on our roads is that they can and do cause severe injuries in traffic accidents.
Commercial vehicle bans
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently began banning commercial vehicles from operating on specific roadways including Interstate 80 in Venango County during severe weather conditions in an effort to keep Pennsylvania residents safe from accident injuries. Venango County commercial vehicle accident attorneys know that while these bans may prevent accidents and injuries during bad weather, this does not prevent commercial vehicle accidents and resulting injuries on the majority of days when no ban is in place.
Commercial vehicle regulations
Keeping people safe from large commercial vehicle accidents is a priority at the state and federal level, which is why there are strict rules and regulations that govern commercial vehicles. See below for some of the most common and frequently violated commercial vehicle rules and regulations.
- Hours of service restrictions that place limits on commercial vehicle driving hours in an effort to reduce driver fatigue.
- Vehicle maintenance requirements and safety checks to ensure that commercial vehicles are kept in good condition.
- Required driving history and background checks for commercial vehicle drivers.
- Regulations relating to cargo to make sure that it is safely loaded and secured in order to avoid shifting contents that cause truck imbalances and loss of vehicle control.
- Distracted driving is dangerous for all drivers, but as previously mentioned, large commercial vehicles are more likely to cause severe injuries in accidents making distracted driving even more risky with commercial vehicle drivers than with smaller passenger vehicles.
Regulation violations
Regulations are frequently violated by commercial truck owners and drivers, especially when drivers feel pressured to meet tight delivery deadlines. Often these violations are contributing factors in commercial vehicle accidents. Experienced commercial vehicle accident attorneys will conduct a thorough accident investigation with a focus on regulation compliance and violations. Regulation violations can be used to support injured victims’ claims that the defendant truck driver/truck company’s negligence caused the accident.
