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Are that semitruck’s brakes any good?

On Behalf of | Jan 9, 2020 | Motor Vehicle Accidents |

Safety is the number one priority of trucking companies and drivers everywhere — or it should be. The sobering reality is that there are a lot of semitrucks out there on the nation’s highways that aren’t in good condition.

Take, for example, the brakes on the next semitruck you see. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety (FMCSA), there were over a half million brake-related violations by commercial vehicles in 2017 alone — and the situation hasn’t improved over time.

In May, 2019, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) held an unannounced “Brake Safety Day” throughout 45 states and 10 Canadian territories or provinces. A total of 10,358 commercial vehicles, the vast majority in the United States, were passed through inspection during that time — and 16.6% failed so badly that they were placed out of service due to brake issues.

This indicates that one out of every six or seven commercial vehicles you see sharing the road with you is probably operating with defective brakes or worn breaking equipment of some kind. Those are scary statistics, indeed — especially once you consider the fact that only the most serious violations require a vehicle to be pulled from service immediately.

The widespread failure of commercial trucks to pass an unexpected safety inspection on their brakes shows that trucking companies are often more concerned about making deliveries on time than they are about safety. They’re not doing an adequate job of checking their vehicles for problems, which puts everybody on the road in danger.

If you or a loved one is victimized in an accident with a commercial vehicle, you have every right to expect compensation for your losses. Don’t let an aggressive insurance adjustor or high-powered trucking company take advantage of you.