Wilmington Defective Truck Equipment Lawyer

As complex as today’s cars have become, large trucks are even more complex and require more maintenance to remain functional. Not only do trucks require more safety systems and features due to their size, but they also cause more wear and tear on equipment than a standard passenger vehicle, which makes regular maintenance critical for everyone’s safety.

Some of the truck parts and systems that can fail and cause an accident include:

• Tires: Worn-out or defective tires are common on commercial trucks because of the massive weight they carry and the number of miles they are driven. Tire separation and tire blowouts occur regularly, as evidenced by the remnants of tires on highways across the state.
• Brakes: Brakes receive a great deal of wear because of the extensive mileage put on commercial trucks. As the brakes wear down, the stopping distance needed for these huge trucks increases and can easily be the cause of a major accident. Malfunctioning brakes can also increase the stopping distance or eliminate the driver’s ability to stop the truck at all.
• Broken mirrors and faulty windshield wipers: Both of these are relatively inexpensive parts on a commercial truck, but they are critical to its safe operation. If a trucker has impaired vision, it can result in collisions that cause serious injury to innocent victims.
• Broken or malfunctioning lights: Having no lights on a commercial truck can make it difficult for the driver to see, as well as for other drivers to be able to see the truck.
• Malfunctioning or broken turn signals: Can also be the cause of a preventable accident.
• Steering defects: With the average weight of a semi being 35,000 pounds, it is easy to see why steering is critical. Being able to maintain control of that immense weight rests on the ability to steer the rig. Even a small failure of the assist mechanism can make controlling a truck almost impossible.
• Defective straps: Worn-out tie-downs and straps are some of the most common causes of accidents involving trucks. These inexpensive pieces hold the load in place, keeping it from spilling onto the road or the vehicles surrounding the flatbed truck. Worn or damaged straps can be the cause of a truck spill, or a shifting load that causes the truck to rollover when turning.