Personal Injury Lawyers in New York

Yesterday, April 1, some U.S. truck drivers drove slowly to cause traffic backups and others staged a protest at a service area with hundreds of people in attendance. These things took place on freeways around Chicago and New Jersey but not in California where trucks are more numerous on the freeways. Other protests occurred in Florida. Some truckers who were driving below the speed limit received tickets.

These were independent truckers, who comprise about 90% of the trucking industry. They were protesting the cost of diesel fuel which has risen recently. Many of these big rig drivers are represented by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). This organization has about 161,000 members, and there are about as many more truckers in the U.S. who are not members.

The OOIDA has asked Congress for help with the diesel fuel cost and is warning the public that the cost of many items such as groceries could rise because of the extra costs that truckers have to bear. Some truckers have to keep their vehicles off the roads for lack of funds up front to buy diesel fuel. Others are finding other work. If there’s a shortage of trucks, prices of goods they normally transport will rise.

The numbers of big rigs on our roads has certainly been increasing in recent years. The drivers work to tight delivery schedules and there is a trend among retail stores to order smaller amounts of goods each time. That way they need less storage space on their premises. It also means that trucks must head for their back entrance more often, and most such stores are in neighborhoods where we all drive our passenger vehicles locally, expecting to be relatively safe.

The issues involved with numbers of 18-wheelers and the accidents they are involved in are many, complex, and changing. If you, or someone you love, have been injured in an accident involving a big rig, please contact us for some legal help. We can give you a free consultation and advise you of your legal rights and options.