The Truck Accident Law Firm Blog

When you imagine the future of self-driving cars and trucks, it’s easy to focus on the positives. However, although developers of autonomous vehicles strive to make them as safe as possible, these vehicles pose serious risks.  The sheer size difference between commercial trucks and cars makes the dangers of autonomous commercial trucks even greater than those of autonomous passenger vehicles. These are some of the primary safety concerns associated with self-driving trucks. There’s Always a Risk of Software Malfunctions Highly sophisticated software systems control autonomous trucks and other self-driving vehicles. However, even the best software can experience glitches. If a glitch happens when a cargo truck is going 80 miles per hour on the interstate, there’s a good chance it will lead to a truck accident. Software systems are also vulnerable to cyberattacks. If a hacker were to gain control of one or more autonomous trucks, the results could be catastrophic. They Can Be Unpredictable Like human drivers, autonomous vehicles

Self-driving cars are making the news with increasing regularity. Currently, no car on the market is fully autonomous, but in the near future, we may see truly driverless vehicles. Autonomous cars are an exciting prospect for consumers, but trucking companies are also eyeing self-driving technology. Although it will likely be quite some time before you see a driverless tractor-trailer next to you on the highway, a handful of companies are currently developing and testing autonomous trucking technology. What Are Autonomous Trucks, and How Do They Work? Autonomous trucks, also called self-driving trucks, are commercial trucks that can operate without human intervention. These vehicles rely on a collection of cutting-edge software and hardware: Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) Without a human behind the wheel, an autonomous truck needs another way to “see” its environment. That’s where lidar comes in. Lidar is a technology that uses pulsing lasers to detect distances.  A lidar system typically has three main components: By creating a

Every day, thousands of trucks drive millions of miles delivering goods across the country. The U.S. has countless trucking companies, the largest of which earn billions of dollars every year.  What makes a trucking company the largest? Is it the profit it makes or the size of its fleet? Both are reasonable ways to judge size. The following are the 10 largest trucking companies in the U.S. UPS This massive delivery company has 94,000 delivery vehicles designed primarily for urban areas. These vehicles are smaller than 18-wheelers but larger than the average passenger vehicle or SUV, and UPS truck accidents are rare on highways. FedEx This competitor to UPS is only slightly smaller in fleet size and annual revenue. FedEx reported a revenue of $87.7 billion in 2024 and has a fleet of almost 81,000 vehicles. Unlike UPS, though, over a third of this fleet is dedicated to freight, which means they have more semi trucks. J.B. Hunt J.B. Hunt

Under Florida law, all drivers must carry personal injury protection coverage in their auto insurance policies. After a minor crash, their insurer pays for a portion of their medical bills and missed paychecks. However, heavy trucks, like construction vehicles and semi trucks, don’t cause minor crashes — they more often cause severe or fatal injuries. The value of an injury claim depends on many factors unique to your truck accident. In other words, there’s no settlement value that applies to all crashes. Consequently, any “average” given would provide little to no information about the payout you can expect in your case. Instead of providing generic figures, a truck accident attorney will look at the following factors to assess the value of your case. The Severity Of Your Injuries The primary factor in determining your case’s value is your injuries. Injuries that cause greater losses will enable you to recover greater compensation. An injury may be considered “severe” in a few

Semi truck accidents, which are already complex legal matters, are going to get a whole lot more complicated now that there’s a possibility a driver may not even physically be behind the wheel.  The general public may still be largely unaware of the uptick in autonomous vehicle (AV) development, especially when it comes to self-driving trucks, but they are a lot closer to hitting Florida highways than you might expect. Here’s what you need to know.  What Is an Autonomous Truck? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) classifies driver-assist technologies into six levels, ranging from Level 0 to Level 5. Level 0 technologies are those that provide drivers with momentary assistance, such as automatic emergency braking or lane departure warnings.  Each level involves progressively more assistance and less human intervention. Level 3 tech, also known as conditional automation, is what’s become available in today’s cutting-edge vehicles. These include systems like Tesla’s Full Self-Driving capabilities. The goal with autonomous trucks

In May 2025, driverless semi trucks hit the road in North Texas. Proponents of these driverless trucks (and other fully automated commercial vehicles) are pushing the idea that these will ultimately reduce or even eliminate the risk of serious motor vehicle crashes.  Despite being an idea everyone can support, we are still a long way from achieving such a feat. Several tech companies have already received approval to test automated trucks on public highways. Here’s why that could prove to be a bad idea.  What Is an Automated Semi Truck? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) groups vehicle automation tools into six categories, ranging from Level 0 to Level 5. Level 0 mechanisms provide momentary driver assistance, such as lane departure warnings. By Level 4, the onboard system is fully responsible for driving tasks, meaning a human driver is usually no longer needed.  Level 5 automation is the goal that driverless vehicle technology companies strive for. It is the

A truck’s no-zone refers to the dangerous blind spots around large commercial vehicles, where passenger cars disappear from the truck driver’s view. Understanding what a truck’s no-zone is can be the difference between a safe trip and a serious truck accident on Jacksonville’s busy highways. These blind spots are much larger than those found on regular cars. They create hidden dangers for drivers who share the road with 18-wheelers and other commercial trucks. Understanding Blind Spots Around Large Trucks Commercial trucks have four main no-zones that create serious safety hazards for other motorists. These areas exist because of the truck’s size, height, and mirror placement on the cab. Several factors create these blind spots: Unlike passenger vehicles, trucks cannot get rid of these blind spots entirely. Even with properly adjusted mirrors, the physics of large vehicles makes these blind spots unavoidable. Front No-Zone Dangers The area directly in front of a truck creates a significant blind spot many drivers underestimate.