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18 Wheels And Countless Dangers — Alarming Report

Today brings the third installment in the The Dallas Morning News’ truly frightening three-part series about road hazards caused by trucking companies that hire inexperienced drivers, and fail to maintain their big rigs. This is a must-read article. Here is the beginning of today’s installment:

By the time a state investigator visited SDS Trucking Inc. in April 2005, the Midlothian building materials hauler had been in 10 traffic accidents in 12 months. One accident killed a motorcyclist, and four others injured 12 people.

An in-depth examination of the company’s records found enough safety violations to earn SDS a rating of unsatisfactory, the lowest possible in the compliance review system that Texas uses to evaluate trucking company safety. Two months later, the Texas Department of Public Safety ordered SDS to cease operations.

Research suggests that the threat of shutdown implicit in a compliance review reduces truck-related accidents and saves lives. One expert called compliance reviews “the nuclear weapon” of safety enforcement.

DPS officials, too, regard compliance reviews as one of their most effective tools in improving the safety performance of high-risk motor carriers.

But last year in Texas – which leads the nation every year in deaths from large-truck accidents – DPS completed compliance reviews for only one of every 10 companies it identified as the biggest potential dangers on the road.

“There are just a whole lot of companies that slide under the radar screen and never do get audited,” said Bill Webb, the immediate past president of the Texas Motor Transportation Association, which represents trucking companies.

Bob Kraft

I am a Dallas, Texas lawyer who has had the privilege of helping thousands of clients since 1971 in the areas of Personal Injury law and Social Security Disability.

About This Blog

The title of this blog reflects my attitude toward those government agencies and insurance companies that routinely mistreat injured or disabled people. As a Dallas, Texas lawyer, I've spent more than 45 years trying to help those poor folk, and I have been frustrated daily by the actions of the people on the other side of their claims. (Sorry if I offended you...)

If you find this type of information interesting or helpful, please visit my law firm's main website at KraftLaw.com. You will find many more articles and links. Thank you for your time.

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