What To Do After Having An Accident In Your Semi Truck
Truck drivers spend hours and hours out on the roads. Whether they are driving a local route or across the country, the more time spent out on the roads, the more chances there are of getting into an accident. Semi truck drivers have strict guidelines and rules they must follow while driving. The guidelines detail things like how they are to operate their truck, how often to take breaks and how to properly maintain their trucks. Regular maintenance and finding the right aftermarket truck parts from companies such as www.lynntruckparts.com are important to being safe. Even when all rules are followed, accidents can still happen. Below are some tips to follow on what to do after being in a semi truck accident.
Check For Injuries
After an accident occurs, everyone is scared and shaken. It can be difficult to know what should be done first. The first step to take is to make sure that there are no injuries. If there are injuries, emergency services needs to be called. If you need an ambulance or fire truck, they will come as well. Once everyone is safe, the next step can be done.
Check Cargo
As a semi truck driver, your main mission is to transport your cargo safely from one destination to another. After the accident, you should check your cargo if possible. If you are carrying any type of cargo that can be dangerous or hazardous to the environment, the correct protocols should be taken to prevent any spills. If you have flares in your truck, set them up around the accident scene to warn other drivers and prevent other accidents from happening.
Call Insurance Company
After the accident has been cleaned up and everyone has been taken care of that was injured, you will need to make time to talk with your insurance company. The agent you talk to will have many questions about the incident. If you can, you should submit to them any photos of the scene where the accident happened and of any damage that was done. A copy of the police report will help you as well.
Depending on how serious the accident was, you may have to have your CDL license reviewed. To help your case, work with officers on the accident scene and let them take any blood or alcohol tests they decide to do. If you pass these and were found to be following the laws of the road as well as the guidelines of the trucking industry you work for, you should be just fine and not be at risk of losing your license.