Many Delaware residents have probably either experienced a car accident or witnessed one. If not, almost everyone has glimpsed examples of negligent driving at some point. Unfortunately, bad drivers are everywhere, from passenger vehicles to huge semi trucks. Negligent truck drivers, though, can cause much more damage than the driver of a passenger car, even though all irresponsible drivers have the potential to wreak havoc. Victims of both truck accidents and car accidents can explore their options with the aid of a Wilmington personal injury attorney.
In Delaware, one must meet certain requirements before they are able to obtain a CDL, or commercial driver’s license. This special type of license is the kind held by most truck drivers and other commercial drivers. Most of the time these drivers have a special skill set and perform their jobs with the utmost of precaution, but just one reckless commercial driver is far too many.
In order to help prevent unqualified truck drivers from getting behind the wheel of commercial vehicles, Delaware restricts CDL eligibility to those who have driving records clear of certain offenses. The list of disqualifying offenses includes past operation of a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a refusal to take a breath test or leaving an accident scene. More disqualifying offenses include the use of a motor vehicle to commit a felony-level crime, even if that crime is not a traffic offense, and operation of a commercial vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 or higher. In addition, a person cannot obtain a CDL license in Delaware if their regular driver’s license is currently suspended, revoked, cancelled, denied or disqualified.
Recovering from an 18-wheeler accident can be incredibly lengthy and difficult. Such recovery is even more difficult if the accident was caused by an unqualified truck driver. Some unscrupulous employers may hire drivers even knowing they have past records of dangerous driving. Such truck companies may retain drivers even if they have caused an accident. In any case, the damage caused by these drivers can easily involve serious injuries or even death. A Delaware truck accident attorney may be able to help.
Source: The State of Delaware, “Driver Services: Commercial Driver’s Licenses,” accessed May 21, 2016
