Businesses and Western Governors Press to Increase Truck Weight and Size Limit

Increase would cause drastic spike in truck accident fatalities

More than 150 companies, including Kraft, Coca Cola and MillerCoors, are lobbying Congress to increase the weight limit on trucks traveling interstate highways, The Wall Street Journal reported on August 16.

The companies would like to increase weight limits from 80,000 to 97,000 pounds, or almost 20%.

At the same time, a coalition of Western state governors is asking Congress to allow more doubles and triples – multiple tractor trailers hitched together, that can span up to 120 feet – on the federal highways in their states. Current law limits trucks on the interstate to no more than 53 feet in length.

When it comes to accidents, there is a strong correlation between the size of the truck and the severity of the accident. A study done by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute showed that a truck weighing 80,000 pounds is 50%-100% more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a truck weighing 50,000 to 65,000 pounds. […]

Man Dies From Injuries Suffered In Tractor-Trailer Accident

Tractor-trailer accident: A Pennsylvania man has died from injuries he suffered when his pick-up truck crashed with a tractor-trailer in New Jersey, reports the Gloucester County Times. The passenger truck flipped on its side coming to rest against an abandoned building.

A typical fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh close to 80,000 pounds, while an average passenger automobile weighs only 3,000 pounds. Due to this size disparity, and the basic laws of physics, any collision between a commercial truck and another vehicle is likely to result in serious, even fatal, injuries. If you have been injured, or a loved one has died, in a commercial trucking accident, you need the experienced lawyers of Munley, Munley & Cartwright to protect your rights.

The 59-year-old-driver and his passenger had to be cut from the 1997 Ford F-150 pick-up.  They were then airlifted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden where the driver was pronounced dead from severe head injuries he sustained in the crash.  […]

Drowsy Truck Driver Suspected Cause of Crash

A drowsy truck driver is suspected to be the cause of a  tractor-trailer and box truck collision early Tuesday morning during the rush hour commute in Baltimore, Maryland. The crash forced the closure of lanes and tying up traffic for hours.  Both drivers were taken to the hospital for treatment, where one remained in serious condition.

At Munley, Munley and Cartwright, we are truck/tractor trailer accident and injury lawyers and we know that every 16 minutes a person is killed or injured in a truck accident.  If you or a loved one has been injured in a commercial trucking accident, you need the experienced lawyers of Munley, Munley & Cartwright to protect your rights. Large trucking companies have their own investigators and attorneys fighting for them, you need someone on your side.

Authorities said the driver of the box truck fell asleep at the wheel and hit the rear end of a flat bed trailer being pulled by the tractor-trailer. […]

Loads Spilled onto Roadway in Pennsylvania Truck Crash

A recent multi-truck crash on a Pennsylvania highway shows one very real danger posed by tractor-trailer accidents — the risk that cargo and dangerous fuels will be spilled.

At Munley, Munley and Cartwright, we are truck / tractor trailer accident and injury lawyers and we’ve seen this all too often.  Did you know that every 16 minutes a person is killed or injured in a truck accident? Even so,  trucking industry lobbyists continue to call for the weakening of truck safety rules and regulations to reap a higher profit. If you have been harmed in a truck accident, contact us online today  for a free consultation or call us toll free at 1-800-318-LAW1.

In the latest accident, a three-truck crash in the northbound lanes of I-95 in Milford spilled liquid latex and diesel fuel onto the road, closing a section of I-95 for several hours on Monday and sending two truck drivers to the hospital, […]

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Texas I-35 Truck Accident Deaths

The sole survivor of an SUV struck by an 18-wheeler in a construction area of Texas I-35 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Named in the suit are her 13-year-old son and her 63-year-old father who both died in the accident which occurred over the 4th of July weekend.

The woman’s lawsuit was filed against the truck driver, the driver’s company, the construction company, and the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT.) Her SUV had slowed down for traffic in a construction zone where the highway narrowed to one lane when they were hit by the tractor trailer.

The lawsuit claims TXDOT did not have adequate safety controls in place which made the accident possible. After spending five days in ICU, the survivor is still recovering from her injuries.

Since the July 4th accident, three more people have been killed by another 18-wheeler in the same construction area. […]