- Maintenance requirements —Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations require that commercial motor carriers operating in interstate commerce must undergo a through minimum inspection at least once every 12 months. North Carolina statutes extend these requirements to trucks operating exclusively within state lines.
- Weight and dimension limitations — North Carolina has put forth detailed limitations on the gross vehicle weight as well as dimensions of vehicles traveling on state, federal and interstate highways throughout the state. If a truck causes an accident while in violation of these limitations, it may be indicative of liability on the part of the driver or trucking company.
- Hours of operation limitations — Because driver distraction and fatigue is such a frequent cause of automobile accidents, the FMSCA limits property-carrying truckers operating in interstate commerce to 10 hours on duty at a time and 60 hours on duty in a seven day period or 70 hours on duty in an eight day period. North Carolina imposes similar — albeit slightly less strict — requirements for drivers operating exclusively within state lines.
A truck accident attorney must thoroughly investigate potential violations of these regulations in addition to other normal hallmarks of negligence when building an accident case against a commercial motor carrier.