The federal government has studied truck accidents to determine their causes. The resulting data shows which mechanical failures, road conditions, and driver errors frequently cause large truck collisions. One of the most common and most dangerous factors is truck driver fatigue.
Understanding how tired truck drivers cause accidents in Macon, GA, can help you determine your legal options after a crash. A Macon truck accident lawyer from The King Firm Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers can pursue claims against the trucking company and its insurers when a drowsy truck driver causes a collision. Contact us at (478) 292-7272 for a free consultation.
How The King Firm Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Truck Accident in Macon
Our firm’s attorneys have over 17 years of combined legal experience representing truck crash victims in Macon, Georgia. We use our extensive trial experience to help our clients pursue just compensation from at-fault parties and their insurers. In 2025 alone, we recovered over $27 million for accident victims like you.
When a trucking company is at fault for your traffic crash injuries, we provide the following assistance:
- Review the causes of your accident and explain your legal options
- Gather evidence, including the trucking company’s records and your crash report
- Prepare a claim for the trucking company’s insurers and sureties
- Negotiate a settlement or file a lawsuit to seek just compensation for your injuries
A truck crash can cause serious injuries, regardless of the cause. Contact us to schedule a free case evaluation with a Macon truck accident attorney to learn about your rights under Georgia law and seek compensation for your crash-related financial losses.
Causes of Truck Driver Fatigue in Macon
Truck driver fatigue is generally preventable. However, trucking companies often implement policies that lead to employee overwork. Moreover, drivers, often wishing to maximize their incomes and satisfy their employers, may break the rules.
The federal government has hours-of-service rules for truck drivers engaged in interstate commerce. These rules apply to any driver who operates between states, drives into or out of the U.S., or carries goods that traveled in interstate or foreign commerce.
Briefly, these rules require:
- A 30-minute break every eight hours of driving
- A 10-hour rest break after 11 hours of driving or 14 hours on duty, whichever occurs first
- 34 hours off after 60 hours on duty in seven days or 70 hours on duty in eight days, whichever occurs first
These hours are maintained in an electronic logging device (ELD). The ELD is supposed to prevent drivers and trucking companies from violating the hours-of-service rules.
However, drivers and companies can cooperate to defeat the ELD in a few ways, including:
- Disconnecting ELDs and claiming malfunctions
- Sharing login information so drivers can log hours under a different driver’s name
- Creating ghost accounts for non-existent drivers
Even when drivers follow the hours-of-service rules, fatigue can still occur. A driver may experience drowsiness due to illness, age, or drug or alcohol use.
Drowsy driving increases crash risk. Fatigued drivers may doze off. While dozing, the driver will not see the road or have physical control of the truck. However, a driver does not need to fall asleep to pose a crash risk.
Sleepiness can also cause “highway hypnosis,” a form of inattention where the driver loses mental focus as their brain switches to autopilot. These inattentive drivers may not see other vehicles or respond in time to avoid them.
Who Can Be Liable in Georgia for Crashes Resulting from Drowsy Driving?
Generally, trucking companies are vicariously liable for crashes caused by employee negligence. If a driver is employed by a trucking company, the company will bear the liability rather than the driver. Thus, you will typically sue the trucking company after its drowsy driver hits you.
The analysis can be complicated when a driver works as an independent contractor. Normally, independent contractors are liable for their own negligence.
However, the liability for drowsy driving truck crashes can fall on trucking companies, even when the driver is a contractor, under the following theories:
- The company negligently hired the contractor because they had a history of crashes.
- The company cooperated with the driver to circumvent hours-of-service rules.
- The company had policies that pushed drivers to overwork.
- The company failed to perform drug and alcohol tests or ignored the results.
In these situations, the company’s negligence may have caused or contributed to the driver’s drowsiness. Consequently, the company, along with its insurers and sureties, can be liable for compensation for injuries.
Contact Our Macon Truck Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Macon truck accidents often result from truck driver carelessness, including driving when they are fatigued. If a tired truck driver caused your accident, you may be entitled to compensation.
Contact The King Firm Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss how we can pursue a legal claim against the trucking company liable for your injuries. Our Macon truck accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, so you’ll only pay us if we recover money on your behalf.
