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Louisiana Motor Carriers Should Look More Closely At How Their Trucks Are Loaded

Every year, hundreds of Louisiana motorists are injured or killed in accidents involving tractor-trailers and other types of heavy trucks. While some of these crashes are caused by passenger car drivers who are either reckless or inexperienced, a great many of them are the result of truck driver mistakes and motor carrier negligence.

There is a lot that can go wrong with an 80,000 pound truck. The driver could be exhausted, under-qualified or simply inexperienced, the truck could be poorly maintained, or its cargo inadequately secured, unevenly distributed or overloaded.

The way a truck's cargo is loaded is critical to everyone's safety.

Overloading a truck is not simply a violation of very detailed federal and state rules; it makes the truck unsafe to operate. The same is true if the cargo is unevenly distributed, and if a failure to secure the cargo allows it to shift in the trailer or spill on the roadway.

Cargo weight: Each truck has a maximum design weight called Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which is usually less than the combined maximum weight allowed per axle. The overall maximum weight of cargo and vehicle is 80,000 pounds. A truck can also be overloaded if most of the weight sits on top of the front or rear axle of the trailer, exceeding the maximum weight limit per axle. An overloaded tractor-trailer requires a longer distance to come to a stop and wears out the brake system and the tires much faster, making rollovers more likely.

Cargo distribution: Even when a trailer is properly loaded when the 18-wheeler takes off, parcel cargo is often discharged at various delivery places, creating weight imbalances. The cargo needs to be offloaded and reloaded properly before the next leg of the voyage. Time stressed truck drivers, paid by the mile, do not always do this. The result could be jackknifing or rollovers, and too much wear on some of the trailer's brakes and tires.

Securing cargo: Whether at the start or during the voyage, the cargo must be fastened and secured properly to avoid shifting or spillage. Shifting cargo could not only damage the transported goods, but creates a shock in the trailer that can make the truck driver lose control. Cargo spillage can have devastating effects on the vehicles traveling close to the truck.

If you have been hurt in a Louisiana car, truck or motorcycle crash, contact the New Orleans accident attorneys of the Young Firm immediately for a free, no commitment evaluation of your case. Also order now our FREE lawyer book "A Guide To Steering Through a Serious Vehicle Accident in Louisiana."

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