In our prior posts we have mentioned over and over how dangerous commercial trucks can be in California truck accidents. Their size alone can and does cause very serious damage to the vehicle it strikes, and in turn, the passengers inside. When those vehicles are loaded with excess cargo that causes the truck to weigh more than the law allows it is not only illegal, but even more dangerous for the driver and those that share the road.

Weight restrictions are calculated to keep safety as high as possible, but when a vehicle is overweight, the truck driver has more trouble stopping, can jackknife more easily and carries even more force when colliding with a smaller car. These restrictions are often violated, because the more product a truck can carry, the more cost effective it is to businesses.

"It's very dangerous for the public, it's dangerous for me," said one truck driver when discussing the protests of nearly 400 truckers who walked off the job at the Port of Seattle because they were forced to driver overweight trucks. Many truck drivers carry "pre-packed" containers. While they own the truck itself, the container is owned by one company and the trailer by another. The truck driver is responsible for the load that they carry and are fined when caught with an overweight load.

News station KING 5 investigated the issue in the Seattle port where the containers are loaded and shipped into California and other states across the country. The investigation found a big problem: over half of the inspected trucks had safety issues. New legislation would shift more responsibility from the subcontracted drivers to the companies that hire them.

If you are a victim of a trucking accident involving an overweight vehicle, you are not limited to seeking compensation from the driver or the corporation which employed them. A victim can name both the company and the driver in a personal injury lawsuit.

Source: king5.com, "Hundreds of truck drivers walk off job at Port of Seattle," Chris Ingalls, Feb. 3, 2012