Forget the rise of self-driving trucks and drones and the new rules governing trucking operations. The reality is that truckers across the country help to make sure that you have lettuce on the shelves at your local supermarket every day of the week. While you might think that many of these truckers work for big companies, most are independent contractors driving their own trucks.
Drivingmight be driving but managing a trucking business means that you’ll need to have a good lawyer to help you navigate the ins and outs of the industry. With that in mind, here are some reasons why every independent trucker needs a lawyer on speed dial.
Negligent Third Parties
The average car driver might be afraid of big rigs, but what they fail to realize is that truckers are often the victims of negligence. This could be damage from a tow company or even when their rig is being loaded and unloaded.
In these cases, a trucker needs to have the support of a lawyer who will fight for them. Not only will this save you money over the long run but it means that someone else can deal with the petty nuisances tied running an independent truck company.
Contracts
While lawyers might be to blame for most contractsbeing written in gobbledygook, they can also help to make sense of the nonsense. This is especially useful when Party A tables a contract that full of compound sentences.
Remember the devil is often in the details and the longer the contract, the more likely that a customer is trying to shift some of the liability for moving their product over to you. As such, having a lawyer on call to help review contracts can save you money in the long run.
Employment Cases
Many ‘independent truckers’ operate more than one truck and this usually means having employees. This also means complying with the laws regulating truckers in the states where you operate. This is important as the laws in neighboring states might have subtle differences and as such you need to be fully aware of the potential liabilities that could impact your business.
For example, an injured driver for a multi-state trucking company could try to seek benefits in multiple states. Not only does this complicate the process but it could also add up to big bucks. As such, you’ll want to have a lawyer who understands that ‘truck accidents are different than traffic accidents.’ If the accident is in Southern California, then you’ll probably want to get a Los Angeles truck accident attorney to help you out.
The Best Offense is a Good Defense
While this is often applied to sports, it can also be applied to helping your truck company. In this case, you want to have a lawyer who will do everything they can to fight for you and your company when you are the defendant in a third-party action.
These could include situations where you might have been at fault but you want to get the best possible outcome for your business – including a negotiated settlement as an alternative to litigation.
What you want to keep in mind in these situations is that having someone in your corner, even if you are paying them, will help you. Don’t try to be your own lawyer as it will end up costing out more. At the same time don’t get a lawyer who will lie down at the first sign of trouble. Have a bulldog in your corner, someone who will fight for you.
Conclusion
As you can see having a lawyer in your corner will not only help you to protect your business but also grow your business. Sure, you might not like the idea of having a lawyer on a monthly retainer but then there are options to engage with them over time – this could even include a reduced rate if you find that you are using their services on a regular basis.
With that in mind, don’t assume that you don’t need a lawyer for your trucking business as the reality is the opposite. If you are not sure where to start, then talk to other truckers to find out who they are using, and more importantly, why they are using them.
From there you can schedule an initial call to get to know them and their approach to the challenges you are facing. Doing so will save you time and money when you absolutely, positively need to have a lawyer on speed dial.