If you’ve ever been involved in a traffic accident, you may think that all crashes are more or less the same. One vehicle hits another, or maybe one runs a red light. The drivers call the police, the police make a report, the insurance companies get involved, and life moves on.

But when a big commercial truck is involved in an accident, the situation is quite different. Truck accidents are much more complicated than regular car accidents. They involve different rules, different vehicles, different parties, and often much more serious injuries. That’s why having an experienced truck accident attorney on your side is essential if you’re ever involved in this type of crash.

At Shapiro, Washburn, & Sharp, our legal team has decades of experience helping families recover after devastating truck accidents. We understand the unique laws, technical details, and strategies that make or break these cases. Call our Virginia Beach truck accident attorneys today at 833-997-1774 for a free consultation.

Why Are Trucks So Different from Cars?

The biggest difference between a big truck and a regular vehicle is the size and weight of the truck. A typical passenger vehicle weighs around 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. A fully loaded commercial truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.

That means in a crash, the truck carries 20 times the weight. To put this into perspective, that’s like comparing a house cat to a rhinoceros. When these two very different vehicles collide, the result can be disastrous. The smaller vehicle absorbs most of the impact energy, usually causing catastrophic damage and severe injuries that are rarely seen in typical car-on-car accidents.

The size difference also affects how accidents happen in the first place. Because trucks are so much bigger, they create different hazards on the road. They take up more space, are harder to see around, and can cause chain-reaction accidents involving multiple vehicles.

The weight also becomes important when talking about stopping distance. The average car traveling about 65 mph needs about 300 feet to come to a complete stop. A fully loaded truck traveling at the same speed needs nearly twice as much—600 feet. That’s the length of two football fields, which means the truck driver has to think much further ahead than car drivers.

Is Driving a Truck Like Driving a Car?

You may think that if you can drive a car, you can drive a big truck, but the two are extremely different to operate. If you’ve ever been in a big truck, you know—there are many more instruments to keep track of and an entirely different driver setup that can feel very foreign at first.

This is why big truck drivers must undergo special training to operate the vehicle. That training teaches them how to manage all the ways that driving a truck is different from driving a car. A big truck, for example, has much larger blind spots than a car. These are known as “no-zones,” and they extend for several car lengths behind the truck, alongside both sides of the trailer, and directly in front of the cab. If you’re driving next to a truck and you can’t see the driver in the mirror, that driver probably can’t see you either, which can create a dangerous situation if the truck needs to change lanes.

The longer stopping distance is another issue that becomes more critical for truck drivers, particularly if they’re on a hill or grade. When a loaded truck is going downhill, gravity works against the brakes, making it harder to stop quickly. Going uphill, trucks lose speed and power, which can be hazardous if other drivers are unaware that the truck may slow down suddenly.

Trucks also handle weather conditions differently. High winds, for example, can cause a large trailer to sway, making it difficult for the driver to maintain control. When evaluating whether a truck driver acted appropriately in certain conditions, you need to understand how the vehicle would have performed under those conditions.

All of these factors make determining fault in a truck accident more complex. That’s one reason having a knowledgeable attorney on your side in a truck-driving crash case can be so helpful.

How Do Federal Regulations Affect Truck-Driving Cases?

Another major difference between truck and regular car accidents is that trucks are part of the interstate commerce system, which means they’re regulated by federal laws, mainly from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These laws exist to protect the public and affect almost every truck in operation. A good truck accident lawyer is familiar with these laws and uses them when possible to build a strong case.

A few of the areas that are covered by federal rules include:

• Hours of service: Truck drivers are limited in the amount of time they can drive before being required to rest. These rules are designed to help prevent drowsy driving. If a driver exceeds the allowed hours of service and causes a crash, it constitutes a violation of the regulations and can be cited in a truck accident claim.
• Drug and alcohol testing: Truck drivers are subject to mandatory drug and alcohol testing both randomly and after certain types of accidents. If a driver fails a test, that could be evidence of negligence.
• Vehicle inspections: Trucks must undergo regular pre-trip and post-trip inspections. This includes checking the brakes, lights, tires, and other systems. Skipping inspections or ignoring known issues can lead to dangerous mechanical failures that may contribute to an accident.
• Maintenance Requirements: Trucking companies must maintain their vehicles in good repair and keep accurate records of all maintenance activities and repairs. If a tire blows out or brakes fail due to poor maintenance, both the company and the driver may be held responsible.

In a truck-driving accident case, it’s not enough to simply be aware of the rules. You have to know how the regulations interact with each other, how they’re typically enforced, and what violations are most likely to contribute to accidents. This specialized knowledge comes in handy when building a strong case against a trucking company.

How Can a Truck Accident Attorney Help?

Usually, it’s best not to try to handle your truck accident case on your own. In this type of claim, it’s not just about proving that someone ran a red light or failed to signal a turn. You have to dig deeper into maintenance records, driver logs, company policies, federal regulations, and the vehicle’s black box for the information required to prove your case.

Contact us at Shapiro, Washburn, & Sharp. We can help you secure the evidence you need and work with the specialized experts these cases require. We also understand the tactics that trucking companies and their insurers often use to minimize liability.

We have a track record of helping victims of big-truck accidents, as we did for one client who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a collision with a big truck that improperly changed lanes. We helped negotiate a $883,155 insurance settlement on his behalf.

You can find our offices in Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hampton, and Chesapeake.