Negligent Hiring Practices From Trucking Companies
Large trucks are dangerous enough on their own, with enough size, weight and strength to present a serious hazard to standard motor vehicles. If a commercial truck is not driven by a qualified, competent and properly trained truck driver, the risk of truck accidents significantly increases. If a trucking company is guilty of negligent hiring practices, it could be held responsible for a subsequent accident.
A Fort Collins truck accident lawyer can help victims navigate the complex legal process, ensuring they receive fair compensation and justice for their injuries and losses.
What Is Negligent Hiring?
Trucking companies have a legal responsibility to ensure the drivers they hire are qualified and fit to operate commercial vehicles safely. Truck drivers must have valid commercial driver’s licenses and comply with the minimum requirements set by 49 Code of Federal Regulations 391. These include:
- Must be at least 21 years of age.
- Must speak and read English sufficiently to understand traffic signs and signals, converse with the general public, respond to official questions, and make legible entries on reports and records.
- Must be able to drive the vehicle safely.
- Must be physically qualified to perform all the required duties of a driver.
- Must pass a driver’s road test or equivalent.
Negligent hiring means a company does not exercise a reasonable or ordinary amount of care when hiring new employees. If a trucking company skips steps, cuts corners, or does not perform due diligence when hiring or training someone new, this act of negligence can have legal consequences.
What Are Examples of Negligent Hiring From Trucking Companies?
Negligent hiring practices from trucking companies can lead to unqualified, untrained and dangerous truck drivers. Examples of negligent hiring practices include:
- Failing to verify a driver’s required licensure and qualifications
- Failing to conduct a background check on the driver’s employment history and driving record
- Hiring someone with a history of drunk or reckless driving convictions
- Ignoring a driver’s medical records or physical fitness
- Failing to properly drug and alcohol test new hires
- Failing to provide adequate training on truck operation, safety protocols and company policies
For safety reasons, it is critical for trucking companies to follow the rules and regulations set by the federal government when hiring and training new drivers and other workers.
Legal Consequences of Negligent Hiring
If a trucking company fails to exercise the right amount of care when hiring employees, it can put the public at risk. In the trucking industry, employee preparedness is critical. Unfit truck drivers can cause catastrophic and fatal traffic accidents. If an investigation finds that a trucking company was negligent in its hiring practices and this led to someone else’s serious injury or death, the trucking company can face legal responsibility (liability).
Trucking companies can be liable for their own acts of negligence as well as that of their workers. If an incompetent truck driver causes an accident, the trucking company will most likely be responsible for a victim’s losses. This can include medical expenses, property damage repairs, lost wages and other costs associated with the crash.
How Can a Truck Accident Lawyer in Fort Collins Help?
Hiring an attorney to represent you from the beginning of your case can strengthen your ability to recover fair compensation and hold a trucking company accountable for unsafe hiring practices. To recover compensation, you or your Fort Collins truck accident attorney will have to prove fault. This may involve collecting employment documents and other records from the trucking company to prove negligent hiring or training practices.
If you were recently injured as a result of a trucking accident in Colorado, contact Cannon Law’s experienced truck accident attorneys for a free consultation. We will review your case and investigate to search for signs of negligent hiring.