Traveling the highways and interstates that crisscross the country provides you some semblance of safety against poorly maintained trucks since they must stop at weigh stations periodically for inspections. Not all of the commercial trucks you encounter in your travels go through these inspections, however.
Many of the trucks that travel within the Orlando city limits or within a radius that doesn’t take the truck through a weigh station may not have received proper inspections in some time. This may cause the drivers and the companies that own the trucks to become lax on maintenance and repairs, which could put your life in danger.
One state decided to take steps to change that
Apparently, this is an issue across the country since troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol conducted numerous surprise inspections back in May. Their focus was on trucks that don’t usually leave the city or otherwise don’t go through weigh stations. What they found may surprise you:
- Troopers and local law enforcement officials conducted inspections in Lincoln, Omaha, and Sarpy County.
- They conducted inspections on 261 total vehicles.
- Inspectors found violations on 109 of those vehicles.
That means that 42 percent of the trucks involved in these three surprise inspections were not road worthy.
Breakdown of Lincoln inspections
The first round of inspections took place on May 16 in Lincoln. Here is what inspectors found:
- Officials conducted inspections on a total of 100 vehicles.
- Inspectors found an astonishing 336 violations.
- Of the trucks inspected, 41 received out-of-service designations.
- Officials assessed fines totaling $7,350.
Breakdown of Omaha inspections
Inspections took place on May 17 in Omaha. The results were as follows:
- Sixty-seven trucks underwent inspections.
- Of those, 30 went out of service for violations.
- Five drivers could not drive due to license violations.
- Inspectors found 198 violations total.
- Officials issues fines totaling $3,950.
Breakdown of Sarpy County inspections
On May 18, the last round of inspections took place in Sarpy County, Nebraska. Here is what they found:
- Ninety-four vehicles underwent inspections.
- Inspectors discovered 336 violations.
- Of those trucks, inspectors took 38 off the road.
- Five drivers also had violations that prohibit them from driving.
Officials assessed more than $6,200 in fines as well.
What does this have to do with Florida?
The results of these surprise inspections in Nebraska may be representative of the trucks that are out on roadways of counties, cities and towns across the country. You would more than likely be surprised at the results here if Florida officials conducted surprise inspections of these types of trucks as well.
Maintaining their vehicles ought to be a primary concern for truckers and the companies they work for here and everywhere. Failing brakes, bald tires and other mechanical deficiencies pose a real threat to everyone on the road. In fact, poor vehicle maintenance turns out to be at least one factor in any number of truck accidents here in the state of Florida.
Your best course of action as a truck accidents victim
If you were involved in a truck accident, one of the primary investigative tasks would be to inspect the truck for mechanical defects and to inspect the maintenance logs. Other aspects of the investigation into a truck accident may reveal further issues relating to the driver as well.
If you suffered serious injuries or lost a loved one in a truck accident, you may benefit from a discussion regarding your rights and legal options. An inquiry into the factors that caused the accidents may reveal negligence on the part of the driver, the owner of the truck and the company for which the driver worked. Any evidence gathered could establish such negligence and provide you with an avenue for the pursuit of the compensation you deserve.
