Delivery trucks have become such an integral part of our lives that no one even bats an eye when they see FedEx, UPS, and Amazon trucks on the road or highway anymore. In fact, motorists in Mont Belvieu have even gotten used to the scenario when a FedEx, UPS, or Amazon delivery truck is blocking the road while the driver delivers packages.

As an increasing number of Americans rely on deliveries, we are seeing a rising number of FedEx, UPS, and Amazon delivery trucks on U.S. roads. Unfortunately, with so many FedEx, UPS, and Amazon trucks on the road, the likelihood of being hit by one of those delivery trucks increases tenfold for several reasons.

First and foremost, despite the rigorous safety training that FedEx, UPS, and Amazon require for their delivery truck drivers, cases in which inexperienced or unqualified drivers fail to operate these trucks safely are not unheard of in Mont Belvieu.

“Also, a large percentage of car accidents involving FedEx, UPS, and Amazon delivery trucks are caused by drowsy and fatigued driving, because these drivers have to work in a stressful environment under constant pressure,” explains our Mont Belvieu FedEx, UPS, and Amazon delivery truck accident attorney at West & West.

FEDEX, UPS, AND AMAZON DELIVERY TRUCK ACCIDENTS IN MONT BELVIEU

FedEx, UPS, and Amazon use tens of thousands of delivery trucks and vans to deliver tens of millions of packages each day. Most of these delivery trucks and vans log billions of miles each year on U.S. roads and highways, which is an indication of how likely you are to encounter a FedEx, UPS, or Amazon delivery truck driver who is speeding, failing to maintain a safe distance, running red lights, failing to yield the right of way, performing a U-turn or any other dangerous maneuver just to deliver an envelope or package as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, as many FedEx, UPS, and Amazon drivers work seven days a week to keep up with the ever-increasing demand, the risk of getting into a car crash caused by a FedEx, UPS, or Amazon delivery truck is extremely high. Given that the delivery trucks and vans operated by both FedEx, UPS, and Amazon are much larger in size compared to passenger cars, these accidents can cause catastrophic injuries and often result in death.

Understanding Delivery Trucks

Less than load trucks make multiple small deliveries and complete freight pickups in a local area. Some examples of delivery truck companies and entities include the following:

• FedEx
• UPS
• DHL
• USPS or post office
• Amazon delivery

Since delivery truck drivers make multiple stops each day to deliver packages or pick up freight, they have a greater risk of being involved in motor vehicle accidents. This is especially true if they are inexperienced or inadequately trained. They can also be injured at work while loading or unloading products or moving products from truck to truck. Some delivery truck drivers also suffer injuries in slip-and-fall accidents while working or by being struck by equipment while working in various shipping and receiving locations.

Many delivery truck drivers in Mont Belvieu work locally and return home most nights. delivery truck companies, including DHL, FedEx, UPS, and Amazon Delivery frequently hire drivers that have various levels of experience and ability, including shuttle drivers, regional drivers, local drivers, and over-the-road drivers. Similarly, USPS drivers who deliver mail from the post office also might have varying backgrounds. Some have little prior experience working as truck drivers. If the drivers are not properly trained, they can be injured or cause vehicle accidents that injure others.

Investigating delivery driver accidents in Mont Belvieu

Delivery truck drivers face multiple risks throughout the workday, beginning at the pick-up or delivery location. These locations can be difficult for delivery truck drivers to drive into and back out of safely. Delivery truck drivers might have to go to warehouses, manufacturing facilities, or residential areas, and they have to figure out how to navigate to and through these locations. If a dispatcher is negligent or careless, the driver might be routed on a road with a bridge that doesn’t provide enough clearance for the truck’s height or route a heavy truck over a bridge with a much lower weight limit.

Delivery truck drivers who must check GPS, addresses, and streets while they drive may also have their attention diverted away from the roads, increasing the risk that they will be involved in accidents with other motorists. While a driver’s attention is distracted away from the road, he or she might fail to see stopped traffic ahead or run stop signs or lights, causing a collision with another vehicle, pedestrian, or cyclist.

When a driver reaches his or her delivery destination, he or she will have to figure out where to park. Some locations have designated parking for delivery trucks, but many residential locations force drivers to park on the street to complete deliveries. When a driver is forced to park on the street, he or she must take steps to ensure that passing motorists will be aware of the stopped truck and will be able to safely maneuver around it or stop in time. Failing to take appropriate measures can result in accidents.

Loading and unloading risks

Once the driver parks, he or she must start unloading or loading. This process must adhere to regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA. While some distribution or manufacturing facilities do a good job of explaining the safety procedures at their locations, others provide minimal input to the drivers and require them to unload or load products without explaining the safety procedures. This latter approach can place the delivery truck drivers at a heightened risk of injury.

Facilities and businesses that rely on drivers to pick up or unload freight owe a duty of care to provide a safe environment for invitees, which are people who are lawfully present for business purposes. If a facility or business fails to correct hazards or warn a driver about their existence, it might be liable to pay damages to the driver in a third-party trucking case against the facility or business. The truck driver’s delivery truck carrier does not control the facility or business where the driver drops off or picks up freight. However, the driver might also be able to file a workers’ compensation claim with his or her employer when he or she is injured while loading or unloading freight at a customer’s location.

Some of the most common causes of delivery-related injuries include the following:

• Slips and falls on slick surfaces
• Trips over debris or objects left in the delivery area
• Falls off of loading docks or ramps
• Strains and sprains
• Being struck by falling objects or equipment

All of these types of incidents might expose the facility to liability in a premises liability lawsuit.

Load securement issues

Drivers and their trucking carrier employers are normally responsible for securing loads. However, when a shipper loads and seals a trailer, it becomes the responsible party for properly securing the load. In most cases, the delivery truck drivers will be present while their trucks are being loaded and can dictate where the products should be placed within their trucks’ trailers. Since different types of products can greatly vary in size, weight, and shape, drivers must be thoroughly trained in weight distribution and proper load securement. They must also be familiar with the different securement devices to use to secure different products, including chains, straps, blocking, dunnage, and load bars. Products must be properly placed on the trailer to ensure that they are properly secured under the regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

When a truck is improperly loaded and secured, the cargo can shift while the driver is driving. This can cause the truck to be less stable and hinder the driver’s ability to handle the truck. When a truck’s direction or speed changes during a trip from normal driving maneuvers, including braking, speeding up or turning, an improperly loaded cargo can shift and move backward, forward, left, or right.

An unbalanced load can also cause a truck to roll over. Delivery truck drivers or shippers must center the cargo’s weight as near as possible to the midline of the truck to mitigate this risk, and drivers must be cautious when turning to avoid rolling over.

Complex investigations

Since delivery truck drivers go through this process multiple times each day and may have as many as 20 stops per day, incidents involving delivery driver accidents can be complex because of the large numbers of hazards, different standards of care, and regulations involved. Drivers are not able to control every environment in which they work, and accidents can occur.

Whether a delivery driver is injured while working or is involved in a collision with another vehicle, pedestrian, or cyclist, incidents involving delivery drivers must be thoroughly investigated to make liability determinations. Some incidents might involve multiple liable parties, and identifying each responsible party and contributing factor is critical for maximizing an injured victim’s compensation.

Get help from an experienced truck accident lawyer at West & West

The experienced personal injury team has represented people who have been injured while working as delivery truck drivers and those who have sustained injuries in accidents caused by delivery truck drivers. We retain different types of trucking industry experts to help find and analyze evidence to support our clients’ claims.

In cases involving multiple liable parties, identifying all of those who are liable is important. If a party is not named as a defendant to a legal claim but is found to share liability for your accident, you will not be able to recover the percentage of damages the jury allocates to that unnamed defendant. To learn more about how to preserve your rights in a Mont Belvieu delivery driver workplace accident or Mont Belvieu delivery truck accident claim, contact West & West today for a free case evaluation at (713) 222-9378.