The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which oversees the commercial trucking industry, has implemented a new policy called “Fit, Willing and Able,” in an effort to reduce the risk of truck accidents on highways in Oklahoma and across the country. Despite federal and local efforts to protect the safety of Oklahoma motorists and prevent devastating trucking accidents however, collisions involving commercial trucks remain a major cause of serious injury and tragic loss of life in Oklahoma. If you have been injured in a truck accident in Oklahoma City, or elsewhere in Oklahoma, contact our qualified truck accident lawyers at AMA Law to discuss your legal options. You may have grounds to file a truck accident lawsuit against the person found at-fault in the accident, in order to pursue financial compensation for your injuries and accident-related losses.
CARRIERS MUST MEET FEDERAL SAFETY REGULATIONS
Oversized vehicles like commercial trucks and buses pose a considerable hazard to drivers on Oklahoma roadways, given their sheer size and weight – two factors that make serious injury and death more likely in the event of an Oklahoma truck accident. In an effort to curb Oklahoma truck accident injuries and deaths, the FMCSA regularly conducts safety inspections of all interstate truck and bus carriers, and carriers who fail to comply with federal safety regulations can have their licenses to operate revoked. Unfortunately, some trucking companies attempt to skirt FMCSA regulations by taking steps to reopen previously shut-down operations under new identities or affiliations. To combat this problem, federal regulators have introduced the “Fit, Willing and Able” policy, requiring commercial carriers to prove that they are ready, willing and able to to meet FMCSA safety standards before they are allowed to operate in the U.S.
OK TRUCKING COMPANIES EVALUATED BY FMCSA
The scrutiny of the FMCSA will focus on trucking companies that have had their permission to operate revoked or suspended within the last six years. In order to adequately evaluate these companies, federal regulators will draw on the following information:
The nature and severity of current and past violations
The cause of current and past violations, including whether they were caused by the company’s failure to comply with safety regulations
The extent to which any violations have adversely affected safety, including any history of truck accidents, injuries or fatalities connected to the violations
Whether the FMCSA has taken any enforcement actions against the company
Whether there has been any corrective action regarding past or current violations
OUR TRUCK ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS CAN HELP
The FMCSA’s new “Fit, Willing and Able” policy was implemented in an attempt to keep motorists in the United States safe from truck accidents caused by bad drivers, unsafe or poorly maintained trucks, and negligent trucking companies. Unfortunately, even with improved federal enforcement of safety regulations, devastating truck accidents occur far too often in Oklahoma and around the country. If you have suffered injuries in an Oklahoma truck accident, or if you lost a loved one in such an accident, contact our skilled truck accident attorneys at AMA Law to explore your compensation options. You may be entitled to reimbursement for your losses, which our truck accident lawyers can help you pursue by filing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against the allegedly negligent driver.