- Photo Credit: Joe Loong, Creative Commons 2.0
Moving is stressful and expensive. The most common reason for renting a moving truck instead of hiring mover is to save money, but some also prefer to be in control of the timing and their stuff.
Of course, moving isn’t the only reason for renting a truck. Rental trucks are also used to haul supplies and equipment and during major clean-up projects, often left to landlords when renters move out or family members when a loved one dies.
In the end, rental truck drivers are typically suffering from fatigue, operating on a tight deadline, and under significant stress when they get behind the wheel.
And although these trucks are under the size that requires a commercial driver’s license (CDL), they are much larger than the average passenger vehicle and often being driven by someone who has no experience whatsoever driving a large truck, not to mention the unfamiliarity with that particular vehicle, its set-up, controls and handling. Anyone with a license can walk in, rent a truck and drive it off the lot with no training or experience.
It is no wonder that rental truck accidents are common.
Causes of Rental Truck Accidents
- Inexperienced rental truck driver
- Driver negligence – rental truck driver or driver of another vehicle
- Improperly loaded rental truck
- Inadequately maintained rental truck
- Defective rental truck
- Defective roadway
Liability for Rental Truck Accidents
If driver negligence was the cause of the accident, then the negligent driver may be held liable. However, in many cases the rental truck company can be held liable or partly responsible for the negligence of rental truck drivers. Rental truck companies can be held responsible for negligent entrustment if the driver was not appropriately licensed and insured or if they were obviously impaired, including those who try to rent while intoxicated.
Rental truck companies can also be held liable for failure to adequately maintain and repair their trucks.
Improper loading falls on the party that loaded the truck. That can be the rental truck driver or a company or individual they hired to load the truck. Some truck rental companies connect truck renters with loading labor.
As with any motor vehicle accident, others who may be held liable or share in liability include:
- Negligent driver of another vehicle
- Manufacturer or seller of defective vehicle or parts
- Repair shop or third party contracted to performed repairs or maintenance of vehicle which malfunctioned
- Government entity responsible for design, construction and/or maintenance of defective roadway
Rental truck accident cases can be very complex. If you or someone you love had been injured in a rental truck accident, please, contact an experienced motor vehicle accident attorney right away.
