After suffering injuries in a truck accident, most people focus their attention on the driver who caused the crash. However, there is often more to the story when a truck accident occurs.

Trucking companies and truck drivers must follow strict guidelines to avoid trucking collisions. When either the truck driver or trucking company fails to follow guidelines, they can both be held responsible after a truck accident.

One of the most common causes of truck accidents is negligent hiring.

What Is Negligent Hiring?

Trucking companies must use reasonable care when hiring truck drivers. If a company hires someone with an unsafe or reckless driving history, the results can be catastrophic.

Trucking companies must conduct thorough background checks, along with health and wellness checks to ensure that the employer is suited to drive an 18-wheeler. Trucking companies must also do routine recordkeeping of the driver’s performance.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has specific guidelines trucking companies must follow to avoid hiring negligence:

• Drivers must have a valid CDL (commercial driver’s license)
• Criminal offenses, like drunk driving, disqualify workers from driving a truck
• Drivers cannot have a history of significant out-of-service violations or other safety violations
• Drivers are subject to drug testing and criminal background checks

How Can I Prove Negligent Hiring?

Proving that negligent hiring played a significant role in your truck accident injuries will be difficult without an experienced attorney. An attorney can thoroughly investigate your case and help you prove that the trucking company did not use reasonable care when they hired the driver.

For example, your attorney can help you determine if the trucking company failed to perform regular drug and alcohol tests, ignored prior driving offenses, or failed to perform a background check.

If you were injured in a truck accident, contact us today at (888) 273-1045 to schedule a consultation!