If you’ve ever driven through Jackson, Mississippi, you know how busy our highways can get. Commercial trucks that move goods across the southeastern United States use I-55 and I-20 as a crossroads. Every day, hundreds of 18-wheelers drive through our city. This trade is essential for our economy, but it also risks Mississippi drivers.
The stakes are very different when a truck crash happens in Jackson than when a car crash occurs. A semi-truck that weighs 80,000 pounds has about 20 times the power of a passenger car. In these cases, the injuries are usually catastrophic, and there is often more than one defendant, such as the driver, the trucking company, the person who loaded the cargo, and the company that maintained the vehicle.
Many people who were hurt in a truck accident in Jackson don’t know that federal trucking laws usually decide who is at fault and how much money you can get back. These rules from the federal government set strict rules that trucking companies must follow. If they break these rules and someone gets hurt, those violations prove negligence.
Giddens Law Firm, P.A., has been handling complicated commercial trucking cases all over Mississippi for decades. Our Jackson truck accident lawyers know how to look into FMCSA violations, keep necessary evidence safe, and ensure that careless carriers are held responsible for the damage they cause. Knowing these federal rules could make a big difference in your case when you’ve been hurt in a truck accident in Mississippi. Get in touch with us today to find out more.
What Federal Trucking Rules Do
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the federal agency that ensures the trucking industry in the US follows the rules. FMCSA has set safety rules for everything from how many hours a driver can work to how to secure cargo. These rules apply to all commercial vehicles, including every semi-truck you see on Jackson’s highways.
Why is this important for your case? This is because breaking FMCSA rules is often direct evidence of negligence. If a trucking company or driver breaks federal safety rules and causes an accident, that can be used as proof of liability in court. During our investigations, we often find that the log books are fake, the trucks aren’t well-maintained, the cargo is too heavy, and the drivers aren’t qualified. All of these things break federal law.
These violations are dangerous ways that trucking companies cut corners to make more money at the cost of public safety. Finding these violations during discovery is the first step in proving your case and getting the money you deserve.
Regulation #1: The Hours of Service (HOS) Rules
One of the main reasons for truck accidents in Mississippi is that drivers are tired. A tired truck driver has slower reaction times, makes bad decisions, and may even fall asleep at the wheel. That’s why the FMCSA has strict rules about how long commercial drivers can drive.
According to the current HOS rules, truck drivers can’t drive for more than 11 hours after being off duty for 10 hours in a row. They can only work for 14 hours at a time, and then can’t drive again until they’ve had another 10-hour break. After eight hours of driving, drivers also need to take a 30-minute break. Drivers also can’t work more than 60 hours in a row over seven days (or 70 hours over eight days).
Even though these rules are in place, people still break them a lot. Trucking companies are under a lot of pressure to get loads to their destinations quickly, and some drivers lie about their logs to meet impossible deadlines. Someone who hasn’t slept well in days could drive that truck from Jackson to Memphis.
We at Giddens Law Firm know how to investigate HOS violations. We use Electronic Logging Device (ELD) data, driver logs, weigh-station timestamps, fuel receipts, and dispatch communications to determine exactly how long a driver was driving. If we can show that an HOS violation caused your crash, it shows that you were careless, which can raise the amount of your settlement or jury verdict.
Regulation #2: Keeping Records and Using Electronic Logging Devices
The FMCSA required that commercial trucks have Electronic Logging Devices installed in 2017 to record driving time automatically. Drivers used to easily fake paper logbooks, but now they use ELDs, which are better known as “black boxes.” These gadgets hook up to the truck’s engine and make a digital record of where the truck goes that can’t be changed.
For lawyers who handle truck accidents, ELD data is critical evidence. It shows when the truck was moving, how fast it was going, and if the driver followed the HOS rules. But trucking companies often try to hide or delete this information right after an accident. If the trucking company doesn’t keep ELD records immediately, they could be overwritten or “accidentally” lost.
That’s why acting quickly after a Jackson truck accident is important. Our company sends preservation letters to trucking companies within days of a crash. These letters legally require the companies to keep all electronic data, maintenance records, and driver communications. We’ve seen many cases where important evidence was lost because the victims waited too long to call a lawyer.
Regulation #3: Maintaining and Inspecting Vehicles
According to federal rules, trucking companies must keep detailed records of all the maintenance and inspections they perform on each vehicle. Carriers must check their vehicles before and after each trip, perform regular maintenance to keep them in good shape, and fix any problems that could affect safety immediately. All brake systems, tires, lights, steering mechanisms, and coupling devices must meet FMCSA standards.
Some common maintenance problems are:
- worn brake pads
- bald or mismatched tires
- non-functioning lights or turn signals
- broken parts of the suspension
These aren’t small problems; they’re huge accidents about to happen. If traffic suddenly slows down, a truck with bad brakes can’t safely stop on I-55. If the tires are too worn, they can blow out, causing the driver to lose control and jackknife across several lanes.
When we investigate a truck crash, our Jackson truck accident lawyers ask for maintenance records during discovery. If a trucking company doesn’t have inspection reports, puts off maintenance, or has a history of breaking the rules, it’s clear that it cares more about making money than keeping people safe. This proof shifts the driver’s responsibility to the company, which makes the carrier’s insurance and assets available.
Regulation #4: Standards for Loading and Securing Cargo
How cargo is loaded onto a truck directly affects how stable and easy it is to handle. The FMCSA has strict rules about how much weight can be carried, how loads should be spread out, and how to secure them. During transport, cargo must be properly balanced, tied down well, and checked regularly. These rules are in place because trucks that are loaded incorrectly can shift, which can make the driver lose control, or the cargo can fall onto the road.
Federal rules specify how to secure different types of cargo based on their weight, size, and material. When these rules are broken, accident reconstructionists and engineers often have to testify as experts to explain how the wrong loading caused the crash. These experts can examine the loading documents, check the damaged cargo, and show that following federal securement rules would have prevented the accident.
When more than one party is involved in loading operations, like the shipper, the carrier, and sometimes third-party loading facilities, it gets harder to determine who is responsible. Because we’ve worked on these kinds of cases before, we know how to investigate the whole supply chain and find everyone who is responsible.
Regulation #5: Hiring Truck Drivers
It is against the law for trucking companies to hire people to drive trucks that weigh 80,000 pounds. Federal rules say that carriers must thoroughly check potential drivers’ safety records, previous jobs, drug and alcohol use, and Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) status. Companies also need to give drivers enough training and monitor their performance.
Even with these rules, hiring someone who doesn’t care about their job is still a problem. Some companies hire drivers who have had their licenses suspended, have been convicted of DUI, or have been in multiple accidents. This is known as “negligent hiring and retention”: keeping dangerous drivers on the payroll because the company needs to fill routes quickly or doesn’t want to spend money on proper screening.
The FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) uses roadside inspections and crash reports to monitor the safety of carriers and drivers. When we investigate truck accidents, we obtain safety records from the FMCSA database. A company’s history of violations, crashes, or safety complaints could show that it knew or should have known its driver was dangerous.
Discovery in trucking cases often shows shocking facts, like drivers being hired without proper background checks, ignoring drug test results, and missing serious violations to keep trucks on the road. We at Giddens Law Firm look at these records and use them to show that the trucking company doesn’t care about safety.
How These Violations Make a Jackson Truck Accident Case Stronger
Every time someone breaks a federal rule, it shows they were careless or reckless. In contrast to general negligence claims, where liability may be contested, demonstrating a regulatory violation confirms that the trucking company or driver failed to fulfill a legal obligation to avert the harm you experienced.
These violations mean that you should get more money for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and permanent disability. A jury knows this isn’t just an accident when they see that a company purposely falsified logs, skipped maintenance, or hired an unqualified driver. They understand that this is the result of corporate negligence. This often results in significant verdicts, including punitive damages to punish and stop this behavior.
It is important to note that federal violations precede any defenses the trucking company might raise under state law. This is important when the carrier is based outside of Mississippi and tries to say that different rules should apply. FMCSA rules set a national standard that is the same no matter where the company is based or where the driver lives.
Why Choose Giddens Law Firm, P.A.?
At Giddens Law Firm, P.A., we only work with people who have been hurt in Mississippi and are taking on big companies and insurance companies. We have decades of combined experience and have won multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients, including many cases involving commercial trucking accidents.
We know all the rules and regulations that the federal government has. We know how to get and look at ELD data, maintenance records, driver qualification files, and safety inspection reports. We work with the best accident reconstructionists, medical experts, and economists to put together strong cases showing how much damage you suffered.
Big trucking companies have highly skilled legal teams and seemingly endless resources. You need a lawyer who can match them. We have the money, the experience with lawsuits, and the trial skills to take these cases all the way to a verdict if needed. Many law firms say they are trial lawyers, but we have results that prove our courtroom experience.
We also know you’re having trouble with medical bills, losing money, and not knowing what will happen next. We only charge a fee if we win, so we work on a contingency fee basis. You don’t have to pay anything up front; we only get paid if we win.
Since we are based in Jackson, we know Mississippi’s courts, judges, and juries well. We have worked on truck accident cases on I-55, I-20, Highway 49, and all over central Mississippi. We’re your neighbors and want to make our highways safer by holding trucking companies that don’t do their jobs accountable.
Get In Touch With Our Jackson Truck Accident Lawyer Right Away
When you’ve been hurt in a truck accident in Mississippi, don’t wait to get legal help. Call Giddens Law Firm, P.A. today for a free consultation with no strings attached. We’ll review your case, review your legal options, and help you determine how much your claim might be worth.
We know all the rules about trucking and work hard to make companies that don’t follow them pay. Every day after your accident, evidence may be lost, and deadlines get closer. Call us immediately to protect your rights and get the money you deserve.