Accidents involving commercial trucks have their own specific set of governing laws.  Commercial trucks can weigh 40 tons or more when loaded to capacity, in contract with the average consumer vehicle, which weighs about 1.5 tons.  To say that an accident between these two types of motor vehicles results in more severe damage would be a serious understatement.  Commercial trucks also pose additional dangers, depending on the nature of the material that the truck is carrying.

In a commercial truck accident, the basic theory of liability is that the driver, trucking company, or business entity, is negligent if they failed to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances, and the plaintiff’s injuries were a result of this failure. 

There are two primary types of commercial truck accidents under which there are special considerations, differing from standard trucking accidents:

1. Jackknifing, which is the accidental folding of a vehicle at it’s pivot point, is not considered in itself to be proof of negligence.  There are many circumstances under which jackknifing can occur, especially during times of inclement weather. 
2. Turning accidents are also not clear-cut in terms of liability.  The length of the vehicle often makes turning a difficult process, and sometimes requires two lanes to make a right turn in order to avoid damaging parked cars or running the rear wheels onto the sidewalk.  While it is not a clear case of negligence, a commercial vehicle taking up two lanes is, in some states, enough to establish that the truck driver is at fault.