Last Updated on June 27, 2025 by Beltz Law Group
Serious Injury Lawyers
Causes of Trucking Accidents in Texas: Understanding the Dangers and Your Rights
Beltz Law Group: 214-321-4105
Texas highways are traversed by thousands of 18-wheelers daily, essential for commerce but also posing unique and significant risks. Sadly, devastating accidents involving semi-trucks are a frequent occurrence across the state, leading to severe injuries, catastrophic damages, and even tragic fatalities. These aren’t just statistics; they are real events with profound impacts on individuals and families.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious semi-truck accident in Texas, understanding the common causes is the first step toward determining liability and seeking justice. The complexities of truck accident investigations often require the expertise of a dedicated legal team. A qualified semi-truck accident lawyer can help uncover the true causes and guide you through the process of securing the compensation you deserve.
Key Factors Contributing to 18-Wheeler Accidents in Texas
While every accident is unique, a pattern of recurring factors often contributes to these devastating collisions:
- Driver Fatigue (Hours of Service Violations):
- The Problem: Truck drivers face immense pressure to meet tight delivery deadlines, often leading them to push beyond safe driving limits. This results in severe fatigue, impaired judgment, and delayed reaction times—a major cause of crashes.
- The Law: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict “Hours of Service (HOS)” regulations (e.g., 11-hour driving limit, 14-hour on-duty limit, mandatory rest breaks, and limits on weekly driving hours) to prevent fatigue.
- How it Contributes: When drivers or carriers violate these HOS rules, the risk of falling asleep at the wheel, reduced alertness, and poor decision-making skyrockets, leading to preventable accidents. Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) are meant to track HOS, but sometimes drivers or companies attempt to circumvent them.
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Distracted Driving:
- The Problem: Operating a massive commercial vehicle requires absolute focus. However, drivers, like anyone else, can become bored or complacent over long hauls, leading to distractions.
- The Law & How it Contributes: Federal regulations (49 CFR § 392.82) strictly prohibit commercial drivers from using handheld mobile phones or texting while driving. Even changing a radio station or eating can take a driver’s eyes off the road for crucial seconds. Given a truck’s immense stopping distance, even a moment of distraction can have catastrophic consequences.
- Speeding and Reckless Driving:
- The Problem: Despite the size and weight of their vehicles, some truck drivers operate at excessive speeds or engage in aggressive maneuvers like unsafe lane changes and tailgating. This is often driven by demanding schedules or personal recklessness.
- How it Contributes: Higher speeds drastically increase stopping distances and reduce a truck’s maneuverability, making it nearly impossible to avoid obstacles or react to sudden traffic changes. Overtaking other vehicles at high speeds can create dangerous turbulence and diminish response times for all vehicles involved.
- Impaired Driving (Alcohol and Drug Use):
- The Problem: Despite stringent federal testing mandates, some truck drivers still operate under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs. This severely impairs their judgment, coordination, and reaction time.
- The Law: The FMCSA has a “zero tolerance” policy for alcohol and prohibits the use of many controlled substances. Drivers are subject to pre-employment, random, post-accident, and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing.
- How it Contributes: Impaired driving is a direct cause of numerous fatal accidents, as drivers’ ability to safely control their vehicle is compromised.
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Trucking Accident Lawyer North Texas
Improper Truck Maintenance and Equipment Failure:
- The Problem: Neglecting routine maintenance, failing to conduct thorough inspections, or using faulty parts can lead to critical equipment failures on the road.
- The Law: FMCSA regulations require strict maintenance schedules, pre-trip and post-trip inspections, and annual inspections. Trucking companies are legally responsible for ensuring their vehicles are safe.
- How it Contributes: Issues like defective brakes, worn tires (leading to blowouts), faulty steering mechanisms, or malfunctioning lights can directly cause a driver to lose control or contribute to a collision. Owners and carriers sometimes cut corners on maintenance to save time and money, risking lives.
- Improper Cargo Loading and Securement:
- The Problem: If cargo is overloaded, unevenly distributed, or not properly secured, it can shift during transit, especially during turns or braking.
- The Law: FMCSA regulations (49 CFR Part 393, Subpart I) specify detailed requirements for securing various types of cargo.
- How it Contributes: Shifting cargo can cause a truck to become unstable, leading to rollovers or jackknifes. It can also cause cargo to spill onto the roadway, creating immediate hazards for other drivers.
- Inexperienced or Unqualified Drivers:
- The Problem: Not all truck drivers possess the necessary training, experience, or proper Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) for the specific vehicles or cargo they are hauling.
- The Law: Strict CDL requirements and training standards exist for commercial drivers.
- How it Contributes: Insufficient training or lack of experience can lead to poor decision-making, improper handling of the truck in emergencies, or a general inability to safely operate the vehicle. Trucking companies that negligently hire or retain unqualified drivers can be held liable.
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Inadequate Safety Management by Trucking Companies:
- The Problem: Sometimes, the fault lies not just with the driver but with the trucking company’s overarching safety culture and practices.
- How it Contributes: This can include pressuring drivers to violate HOS rules, failing to conduct proper background checks or drug screenings, neglecting vehicle maintenance, or having insufficient training programs. These systemic failures can create an environment ripe for accidents.
Navigating the Aftermath: How Beltz Law Group Can Help
Understanding the potential causes of a trucking accident is just the beginning. Proving negligence in these complex cases requires a thorough investigation and a deep understanding of state and federal trucking regulations. Trucking companies and their insurance providers often have vast resources and will immediately work to protect their interests, often by attempting to minimize your injuries or shift blame.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a semi-truck accident in Texas, you need an aggressive and knowledgeable legal team on your side. The Beltz Law Group has extensive experience handling these challenging cases. We can:
- Conduct a comprehensive investigation: Preserving crucial evidence like the truck’s black box data, driver logs, maintenance records, and company safety records.
- Identify all responsible parties: Holding not only the driver accountable but potentially the trucking company, cargo loaders, mechanics, or manufacturers.
- Consult with experts: Working with accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, and other specialists to build a strong case.
- Negotiate aggressively: Fighting for fair compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.
- Represent you in court: Taking your case to trial if a just settlement cannot be reached.
Severe Accident Lawyer
Don’t face the powerful trucking industry alone. If you’ve been injured in a serious trucking accident in Texas, contact the Beltz Law Group for a free, confidential consultation. We are here to fight for your rights and help you seek the justice and compensation you deserve.
Call us today at 214-321-4105.
