As an attorney handling trucking accident cases in Georgia, I’ve seen a wide variety of violations of trucking safety rules. It’s a nationwide problem.  In 60,000 random inspections of tractor trailers in Arizona, 31% yielded safety violations serious enough to take the truck out of service. Fully 86% turned up at least one safety violation. That’s according to a report by Joe Ducey at KNVX-TV in Phoenix. The breakdown of violations in the Arizona report is as follows:

Types of Out-Of-Service Violations in Arizona in 2006:
False Report of Driver Record of Duty Status – 2,818
Inspection/Repair & Maintenance – 2,674
Driver Fail to Retain Previous 7 Days Logs – 1,500
No Driver’s Record of Duty Status – 1,396
15 Hour Rule Violation – 1,357
Brake Out of Adjustment – 1,194
Inoperative/Defective Brakes – 980
10 Hour Rule Violation – 921
No or Improper Load Securement – 717
Flat Tire or Fabric Exposed – 708
Stop Lamp Violations – 706
No/Improper Breakaway/Emergency Braking – 684
Tire Flat/Audible Air Leak – 590
Brakes-General – 582
Failing to Secure Vehicle Equipment – 546

Companies with Most Out-Of-Service Violations in 2006:
Swift Transportation Company Inc – 148 (out of 611 total violations)
Knight Transportation Inc – 51 (of out 137 total violations)
San Luis International Freight Services LLC – 50 (out of 259 total violations)

 

The Shigley Law Firm  represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases statewide in Georgia.  Recently elected Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia, Ken Shigley was designated as a "SuperLawyer" in Atlanta Magazine and one of the "Legal Elite" in Georgia Trend Magazine. He is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Chair of the Southeastern Motor Carrier Liability Institute and former chair of the Georgia Insurance Law Institute. He particularly focuses on cases arising from truck wrecks and accidents (tractor trailers truck wrecks, bus wrecks, semi truck wrecks,18 wheeler truck wrecks, big rig truck wrecks, log truck wrecks, dump truck wrecks.