Box Truck Accidents in Joplin | Box Truck Injury Lawyer

A box truck is a truck with a cube shaped cargo area and cab on a single chassis. A box truck is also known by other names such as straight truck, cube truck, cube van, bob truck, or box van. Box trucks range from about 13 to 23 feet in length and are used mainly by moving companies or rental companies like Joplin U-Haul and Joplin Ryder truck rentals. Box trucks are generally used to haul large items such as furniture, appliances, and large boxes.

Joplin Box Truck Accidents

It is not uncommon to see accidents involving box trucks in Joplin, MO. Especially since the recent tornado, box trucks are quite common in and around Joplin which help perform various duties, such as moving or delivering construction materials. Additionally, several companies rely on box services in Joplin for product shipment or to receive products necessary to run their business.

The City of Joplin Highway Department and the Jasper County Highway Department are responsible for maintaining and managing much of Joplin's highways and roads. These roads and highways are used by Joplin residents who, on average, have a 15 minute commute to and from work.

In addition to the City of Joplin and Jasper County Highway Departments, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) assumes many responsibilities associated with managing and maintaining some highways and interstates throughout Joplin. MoMOT has implemented several plans that make managing Joplin roads, highways and interstates much easier. For example, MoDOT has established several unique systems that incorporate the use of Closed Circuit Camera Televisions (CCTVs) that allow drivers to obtain current travel times and road conditions. These cameras also improve response times for emergency response times in the event that an accident occurs. Drivers wishing to obtain this information can do so by logging onto the Missouri Department of Transportation website.

Joplin Box Truck Accident Lawyers Need to Assess Cause

In many cases, Joplin truck accident attorneys must retain the services of scientific and medical experts to prove both the cause of the accident and the cause of your injuries. Additionally, a qualified 18-wheeler accident lawyer will obtain all kinds of evidence concerning the scene of the crash, truck logs, and other important information to be used against the trucker, trucking company, or the company’s insurer. Arranging expert witness testimony and preparing important physical and documentary evidence is just one of many ways a Joplin tractor trailer injury lawyer can help you after you’ve suffered a truck accident injury for a major commercial vehicle wreck.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a serious box truck wreck, semi crash or big rig accident, hiring a lawyer is the farthest thing from your mind when tragedy such as this strikes you, a family member, or a friend. However, this is when you need a Joplin truck accident lawyer most. Do yourself a favor by calling one of the qualified Joplin truck accident lawyers listed on this page. Hire a qualified Joplin tractor trailer accident lawyer to help protect your rights.

Box Truck Cargo Area Susceptible to Overloading and Load Shifting

Although the cargo area and cab of a box truck both sit on the same chassis, the cargo area is usually completely enclosed and separate from the cab. However, some box trucks have a cargo area that is joined to the cab and in some of these models; the cargo area can be accessed from within the cab.

The cargo area in a box truck is just as susceptible to overloading and load shifting which could lead to an accident on a Joplin highway, for example, if a driver of a box truck is traveling throughout downtown Joplin, they must be aware of careless drivers who may pull out in front of them, cut them off, swerve in and out of traffic and so forth.  If a driver of a box truck is not driving defensively and experiences one of these types of drivers, they may have to make sudden turns, brakes or lane changes in order to avoid an accident, although this may have saved the box truck from being involved in an accident, the once stable cargo load may have shifted, making the load unstable and unsafe.

Joplin Truck Rental Companies Offer Box Trucks

There are many U-Haul and Ryder Truck Rental locations in and around Joplin, MO and many of them offer box trucks. Following is a partial list of Joplin U-Haul and Joplin Ryder Truck Rental locations:

Box Trucks Large and Small

A “box van” would be a smaller type of box truck because it would use a van cab similar to a family passenger van. A box van would also be built on a van chassis similar to a common 1/2-ton to 3/4 ton commercial vans.

Larger box trucks would have a bigger cab and use a heavier truck chassis built for heavier load capacities such as a 5-ton or 6-ton box truck.

Vehicle makers such as Ford, Chevrolet and International are manufacturers of box trucks.

Overhead Cargo Area

Some box trucks have an overhead compartment that extends the cargo area over the roof of the cab. The overhead cargo feature is commonly found on box trucks available from U-Haul such as their 14’ truck, 17’ truck, 20’ truck, 24’ truck and 26’ truck. All of these models are configured with an overhead cargo area that they call “Mom’s Attic®”.

The overhead cargo area feature has some advantages over regular box truck designs. It provides extra storage space above the cab and it allows movers to isolate more fragile items from regular cargo.

Box Truck Accident Attorneys Serve Joplin and Surrounding Cities

Serving clients throughout Southwestern Missouri, including Anderson,Ash Grove, Aurora, Belfast, Cartage, Carytown, Cassville, Fidelity, Golden City, Greenfield, Joplin, Monett, Mount Vernon, Neosho, Purdy, Racine, Sarcoxie, Sheldon, and other communities in Jasper County and Newton County.

Joplin box truck accident attorneys are experienced in handling serious injury truck collision cases and can help you fight the trucking company or its insurer in order to get you the compensation you deserve. Contact a Joplin box truck accident lawyer today for a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.