The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates many aspects of trucking and how truck drivers may operate their rigs. The rules of the FMCSA apply to big rig drivers in Massachusetts and throughout the rest of the United States. While our readers may be familiar with trucking regulations related to driver training and hours of service, truckers are also regulated with regard to how much cargo they may haul by weight in their trucks.
For example, a truck with a single axle may haul 20,000 pounds of cargo, while a truck with tandem axles may haul up to 34,000 pounds. These rules are in place in part to preserve the national highway system and to prevent trucks from causing damage to the roads they travel on, but they are also important rules when it comes to preventing accidents and proving liability when they occur.
Science proves that a heavy object takes longer to slow and stop than a light object; the force with which a heavy object travels requires more energy to stop it than the energy that moves the light object. Therefore, the heavier a truck weighs the more space and time it will need to stop, and if truck drivers are inattentive they may not be able to prevent their rig from crashing into another car if it is overburdened.
Establishing a truck’s weight and how it may factor into a truck accident case may require the help of legal advisers. Attorneys who represent victims of motor vehicle and truck accidents can help guide their clients through the many possible causes of their incidents and the ways that they may be able to secure the recovery of their losses.
