Why are Tractor-Trailer Accident Injury Claims Different from Car Accident Claims?
As a Missouri tractor-trailer accident injury lawyer, I am often asked how truck accident claims differ from typical car accident claims. To begin, one has to understand the laws that apply to the commercial trucking industry. Trucking companies and truck drivers move goods in "interstate commerce", meaning from state-to-state. This triggers both federal law and state law. However, federal law trumps state law, and as such, no state can enact a law or regulation that voids federal laws. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Department of Transportation are the federal authorities that regulate trucking companies and truck drivers. The Missouri Department of Transportation and Missouri state law is the state authority which governs these truck drivers and companies.
Many truck accident lawyers do not fully understand the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. These regulations are voluminous and without extensive training in what applies in trucking accidents, a lawyer will quickly become discouraged. For this reason, typical car accident lawyers are NOT effective or successful at representing 18-wheeler accident victims. Missouri tractor-trailer accidents will always involved complicated federal laws which must be well understood by a lawyer in order for the victim to ever receive fair compensation for his or her claim.
Missouri tractor-trailer accident lawyer Stephen Schultz is a member of numerous organizations that are solely focused on representing truck accident injury victims. The Association of Plaintiff's Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America (APITLA) is just one organization that Mr. Schultz is actively involved in. APITLA holds several informative seminars each year focusing on how to maximize compensation in Missouri truck accident injury claims.