Key Takeaways: What Every Tanker Truck Accident Victim Should Know
- Tanker rollovers are usually preventable. Roughly 78% of tanker truck rollovers result from operator error, not unavoidable road conditions.
- The cargo determines the danger. Tanker trucks can carry hazardous liquids, gases, or dry bulk materials, so the load type often shapes injury severity and the legal requirements the driver and company must meet.
- Special licensing rules apply. Drivers hauling qualifying loads must carry a Tank Vehicle (N) endorsement, and drivers hauling hazardous materials need an additional Hazmat (H) endorsement, backed by a federal background check.
- Company negligence is a common factor. Poorly maintained brakes and worn tires frequently contribute to tanker rollovers, which can make the trucking company liable alongside the driver.
- Hiring Simmons & Fletcher connects you with Houston tanker truck accident attorneys who have represented injured crash victims since 1979, with no attorney fees unless they win your case.
Tanker truck accidents can be devastating. The damage that results from these collisions is often catastrophic. If you were injured in a crash with a tanker truck, call a Houston tanker truck accident lawyer to discuss your legal options. Call Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., at (713) 932-0777 today for your 100% free consultation.
Why Choose Simmons and Fletcher?
At Simmons & Fletcher, we understand the serious damage that tanker truck accidents cause and the threat these vehicles pose as they traverse I-10, I-45, and SH 59. Our Houston tanker truck accident attorneys have fought for injured crash victims since 1979, securing millions in compensation.
Here’s how our truck accident lawyers stand out:
- Proven track record: We have recovered millions for our clients.
- Board certification: Paul Cannon is board-certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization;
- Contingency fees: You pay no attorney fees unless we win your case.
- Free consultations: We charge nothing to talk to us, and you have no obligation to hire us.
Whether you were hit by a tanker hauling product out of the Ship Channel and the Port of Houston up I-45 or a tanker hauling milk for consumption along I-10, we have the experience to help you recover physically, mentally, and financially.
Get legal help today. Call (713) 932-0777 for a free consultation with a Houston tanker truck accident attorney near you.
What Our Clients Say
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How Are Tanker Truck Crashes Different?
Tanker trucks are prone to rollovers in serious truck crashes. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration states that 78% of tanker truck rollovers are due to operator error. Depending on the cargo, the tank may explode during a significant impact with another vehicle or when the vehicle jackknifes.
What Type of Injuries Do Tanker Trucks Cause?
Tanker truck accidents can cause some of the worst truck accident injuries. In addition to the typical injuries of other wrecks, we have seen the following from tank truck collisions:
- Burn injuries. Burns are unfortunately a heightened risk when dealing with flammable materials or explosives.
- Wrongful death. Loss of life from the impact or aftermath is not uncommon in tanker truck wrecks.
- Chemical burns. In addition to heat or fire burns, chemicals from trucks hauling corrosive liquids can result in severe burns.
- Traumatic brain injury. Hard impacts with large commercial motor vehicles pose a high rish of TBI.
What do Tanker Trucks Carry?
Tanker trucks are commercial motor vehicles that transport liquid, gaseous, and/or dry bulk loads. Liquid materials may be hazardous substances such as gasoline, wastewater, or chemicals, or non-hazardous substances like water, milk, or other consumables. Gases are typically hazardous, such as nitrogen, hydrogen, propane, butane, or other natural gases. Dry bulk cargo may include consumables, chemicals, agricultural products and waste, manufacturing by-products and waste, minerals and other loose bulk items. Some examples include:
- Dry fertilizer
- Sand, gravel or dirt
- Saw dust
- Coal or bauxite
- Plastic pellets or other synthetics
- Seeds, nuts or grains
Smaller tanker trucks may weigh 3,000 lbs. or less, while the largest in the United States weigh around 11,600 lbs. Most are easy to recognize by their cylindrical trailers or “tank” on the back.
Tanker Truck Training & Requirements
One thing every commercial truck accident attorney looks at when a rollover occurs is whether the driver was properly trained. Tanker truck accidents present an extra challenge because qualifications often depend on what the tanker hauls. Thus, it is important to understand the endorsements drivers must carry to demonstrate their qualifications.
The Tanker Endorsement
Drivers of most tanker vehicles must hold a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with a Tank Vehicle (N) endorsement under 49 CFR Part 383. This requirement applies not only to traditional tankers but also to other types of trucks operating like tankers, such as flatbeds, dry vans, box trucks, and refrigerated trucks, if:
- The cargo includes liquid or gaseous individual containers larger than 119-gallon capacity.
- The containers are loaded, not empty.
- The total combined volume in the containers is 1,000 gallons.
The Hazmat Endorsement
In addition, if the cargo is hazardous, the driver also needs a Hazardous Materials (H) endorsement (or the combined X endorsement). To get this endorsement, the driver must undergo a background check under the USA PATRIOT Act’s Hazmat security provisions. Hazardous materials include many enumerated materials and substances such as toxic chemicals, hazardous wastes, explosives, flammables, combustibles, and other dangerous solids, liquids, and gases. It is particularly important that tanker truck drivers be educated in the materials they are carrying and, in the ways, to minimize their adverse effects in the event of an accident.
What Driver Errors Cause Truck Rollovers?
Actions that can contribute to rollover accidents include:
- Failing to keep the tanker truck in a single lane of traffic.
- Failing to maintain a slow speed on wet or icy roads.
- Operating the tanker truck while being tired, fatigued, or drowsy.
- Making unnecessary sudden movements that affect the speed or direction of the tanker truck.
- Sudden application of the brakes.
- Over-correcting after allowing wheels to leave the roadway surface.
Most tanker truck rollover accidents occur on straight highways because of overcorrection or sudden wheel movement. Only a small percentage occur on exit ramps.
Rollovers and Company Negligence
In some rollover accidents, company negligence may cause the collision. Failure to maintain brakes and replace worn tires is a major contributing factor in rollovers. Trucking companies must maintain their equipment before driving it on public roadways. If your loved one was the victim of a rollover accident due to a trucking company’s failure to maintain the braking system and/or tires, call for a free consultation.
Other Resources
- Conspicuity Trucking Cases: The Invisible Danger. Learn how improper lights and reflectors on a truck can cause major issues.
- Side Underride Accidents. Learn how these wrecks happen and what can prevent them.
- Wide Turn Truck Accidents. Truck accidents where the vehicle turns wide and hits an unsuspecting car can produce a rollover.
- Jackknife truck accidents. Learn more about when a 18-wheeler jackknifes.
- Failure to maintain a single-lane truck accidents. Learn how these accidents happen and what makes the truck driver liable.
Talk to a Houston Tanker Truck Accident Lawyer
Tank truck accidents, whether rollovers or straightforward crashes, can cause substantial damage to persons and property. The trucking company has a team of experts whose job it is to mobilize, get to the scene, and start guiding the investigation in their company’s favor. Shouldn’t you have someone looking out for your best interests too? Simmons and Fletcher have stood up for the injured since 1979. When a tank truck wrecks your life, call us. We are here to help.
