Much like an airplane, most commercial trucks have an event data recorder,1 also known as a “black box,” that records important information regarding the performance of the truck. Some of the information recorded includes the following:
- GPS information regarding the truck location at a certain time
- Communications between the driver and trucking company
- Engine RPMs
- Hard braking
- Tire pressure
- Whether the driver engaged the clutch
- Speed of the truck
Interpreting the information recorded on a truck’s black box can be simple in some cases, such as simply knowing that a truck driver was exceeding the speed limit when the collision occurred. In other instances, however, a deeper analysis by a truck accident attorney may be done to identify negligence.
Hours of Service Violations
One common act of negligence that may be identified using black box information is fatigued driving. Because of the dangers of driving while fatigued, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) limits2 the number of consecutive hours and days a driver may work, and drivers are required to keep accurate records of their hours logged. However, drivers have been known to falsify their logs in order to cover up hours of service violations. In such cases, the black box will reveal how long a driver was on the road and whether he violated federal regulations. This can indicate that fatigue likely played a role in the accident and can serve as evidence in your case.
An Experienced Atlanta Truck Accident Attorney Can Help You
Trucking companies are not the easiest of legal adversaries, but they’re no match for our truck accident attorneys. These companies know the risk of injury that comes with deploying large numbers of massive trucks out onto the highways on a regular basis. As a result, they have legal teams and insurance agents all working to avoid legal liability after truck accidents. An experienced Atlanta truck accident attorney will know how to use resources such as the truck’s black box in order to investigate and identify any signs of negligence that caused the accident. If you have suffered an injury in a truck accident, contact a truck accident lawyer at the law firm of Spaulding Injury Law for assistance today. Our truck accident lawyers offer free, no-obligation consultations, so please call us at (770) 744-0890 today.
