Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Truckers Hauling Emergency Relief Can Now Exceed Hours Limits for 30 Days

October 28, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A federal rule that took effect on October 5, 2026, more than doubles the time a truck driver hauling emergency relief can operate outside the national hours-of-service limits. It applies on Maryland’s interstates as it does everywhere else. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that automatic relief following a regional emergency declaration now lasts up to 30 days instead of 14. The declaration can come from a governor, a governor’s authorized representative, or the agency itself.

Truck driver fatigue remains a basis for a negligence claim in Maryland under the new rule. The change suspends two hours-of-service regulations for relief drivers and leaves in place the separate federal rule against driving while fatigued.

Relief loads move on the same interstates as everything else, including I-95, I-81, and I-70. Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers represents people hurt in Maryland trucking accident claims on those corridors. When a carrier says its driver was exempt, dispatch and shipping records show whether that is true.

Maryland’s New Snow and Ice Law Clarifies Liability in Accidents Involving Rooftop Ice Slabs

September 29, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last updated September 17, 2026 · Reviewed by Vadim A. Mzhen

A new Maryland snow and ice law takes effect on October 1, 2026, and it names the cab of a truck and the top of a commercial trailer among the surfaces a driver has to clear before moving. Chapter 667 of the 2026 Laws of Maryland adds the requirement as Md. Code, Transp. § 21-1135, sets higher fines for commercial vehicles, and creates a separate offense when a violation contributes to a crash.

For someone hurt when a slab of ice comes off a trailer roof, the new section states plainly what a driver is expected to do about accumulated snow and ice before moving. The crash-related offense carries a fine of $500 to $1,500 for a commercial vehicle. The duty also carries an exception for the driver whose own safety, or whose compliance with workplace-safety rules, would be compromised by clearing the vehicle.

When a Freight Broker Can Be Held Responsible for a Maryland Truck Crash

August 31, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last updated August 21, 2026 · Reviewed by Jack D. Lebowitz

A serious truck crash on I-95 or the Baltimore Beltway often produces a defendant who cannot pay for the harm done. The motor carrier turns out to be a small operation with minimum coverage, and the damages run past those limits within the first month of hospital care. For years, the company that hired that carrier and put it on the road could usually get itself dismissed by pointing to a federal statute.

The Supreme Court removed that defense in May 2026. In Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, No. 24–1238, decided May 14, a unanimous Court held that federal law does not bar state-law negligent hiring claims against freight brokers. Justice Barrett wrote that requiring a broker to use ordinary care in choosing a carrier “concerns” motor vehicles, which places such claims inside the safety exception Congress built into the preemption statute.

For a Maryland family, the practical consequence is straightforward. In a Maryland trucking accident claim where the carrier’s policy will not cover the losses, the broker that selected that carrier is now a defendant the case can reach, and Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers has been building these claims around the full chain of hiring decisions rather than the driver alone.

When Recalled Brakes Cause a Truck Crash

July 30, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last updated July 13, 2026 · Reviewed by the attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen

Brakes are the one system on a heavy truck that everyone on the road is depending on, whether they realize it or not. In July 2026, Work Truck Online reported two recalls that drove the point home. Mack recalled model-year 2026 Granite trucks built with incorrect drive-axle brake drums that can overload the axle and raise the risk of a crash. Around the same time, Peterbilt trucks were recalled over rear brake piping that lacked proper clearance, a defect that can lead to a loss of service brakes or anti-lock function. Recalls like these are a warning about what happens when the equipment meant to stop tens of thousands of pounds does not work as designed.

What a Brake Defect Does to a Loaded Truck

Who Is Responsible When a Truck Is Left Stopped in Traffic on I-95?

June 29, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A medevac helicopter setting down on the lanes of Interstate 95 is the kind of sight that stops traffic for miles. That is what happened in Howard County on the morning of June 5, 2026, after a box truck slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer. One person was flown to a hospital, several lanes shut down for hours, and another Maryland commute turned into a trauma scene.

A Pattern Maryland Drivers Keep Seeing on I-95

The June crash was not the first of its kind on this stretch of highway in 2026. Earlier in the year, another Howard County crash on I-95 killed a driver when a truck struck the rear of a tractor-trailer stopped on the shoulder. Collisions involving a stopped, disabled, or slow-moving commercial vehicle repeat on Maryland interstates for predictable reasons. Heavy trucks accelerate and stop slowly, they sometimes pull onto narrow shoulders that leave part of the rig close to live lanes, and a driver coming up behind at 65 miles per hour has only seconds to react to a wall of steel that is barely moving.

The Underride Danger in Truck Rear-End Crashes

The height mismatch between a passenger vehicle and a trailer creates the danger of underride, where a car slides beneath the body of the truck and the trailer enters the passenger compartment. Underride crashes rank among the most lethal on the road because they bypass the bumper, hood, and crumple zones that protect occupants in an ordinary collision. Even when a larger vehicle like a box truck is involved, striking the rear of a tractor-trailer concentrates enormous force on the cab and the people inside, and survivors often face head and spine injuries, broken bones, and a long road back.

A New Trailer Recall Puts the Spotlight Back on Dangerous Underride Crashes

May 28, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

You have probably driven behind a tractor-trailer hundreds of times without thinking about the steel bar hanging off the back. It has a formal name — a rear impact guard, sometimes called an underride guard — and its only job is to stop a car from sliding underneath the trailer in a rear-end crash. When it works, it can save your life. When it fails, the consequences are among the most horrifying things that can happen on a highway.

That is why a recent federal action matters. In a round of commercial-vehicle safety recalls issued in early May, regulators flagged a batch of trailers built over several model years because their rear impact guards were missing welds, which reduced the guards’ structural strength. According to the recall, a guard with inadequate strength may not protect the vehicle behind it and increases the risk of injury in a rear-end crash.

It helps to picture what an underride crash actually looks like, because most drivers never have. Your car’s safety systems — its crumple zones, airbags, and reinforced cabin — are designed to absorb a frontal impact at bumper height. But when you rear-end a high-riding trailer and the guard gives way, your car keeps moving forward and slides beneath the trailer. The trailer’s edge passes over your hood and into the passenger compartment. The very safety features that should protect you in a normal collision never get the chance to do their job.

Who Is Liable After a Tractor-Trailer Fire Like the I-270 Express Lane Crash?

April 30, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Around 1:54 a.m. on April 15, 2026, the Maryland State Highway Administration confirmed that the I-270 express lanes near the MD 927 Montrose Road exit in Montgomery County were closed in both directions. Officials reported that a tractor-trailer collided with several vehicles on southbound I-270 between Route 28 and Montrose Road, caught fire, and spilled fuel onto the roadway. Four people were taken to area hospitals. HazMat personnel responded alongside the State Highway Administration and Maryland State Police.

For drivers in the region, the closure was disruptive. For the people in those four ambulances, and for whoever loved them, it was something else entirely.

Truck crashes that involve fire and fuel are among the most complicated injury cases that come out of Maryland’s highway system. Burns, smoke inhalation, secondary impacts as nearby vehicles try to avoid the scene, and the destruction of physical evidence by the flames themselves all change how a claim has to be built. Below are some of the questions that come up most often after a crash like this one.

When Trailer Brake Problems Create Avoidable Dangers

March 28, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A February 2026 recall report filed with NHTSA states that certain 2025 and 2026 Ram vehicles equipped with a trailer tow module may experience a loss of trailer lighting and trailer brakes. The recall affects a large group of Ram and related vehicles, and the defect creates an obvious crash risk because following drivers may not get proper visual warning while the trailer itself may not brake as expected.

This is an important reminder that not every serious towing collision starts with reckless driving. Some begin with a piece of equipment that should have worked but did not. When a pickup, work truck, or heavy-duty vehicle loses trailer brake function, the danger is not abstract. Stopping distances change, control can be reduced, and a driver behind the rig may have no idea that a turn or slowdown is happening until it is too late.

In Maryland, that kind of problem matters on highways, contractor routes, and job-related travel where trucks tow equipment, utility trailers, and commercial loads every day. A crash involving a trailer is often treated as a basic traffic event at first. It may actually require a much deeper look at the vehicle, the trailer connection, the braking system, recall history, and whether the owner or operator continued towing after a known safety issue emerged.

Truck Accident in Prince George’s County: Liability, Damages, and Your Legal Options

February 24, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A collision with a commercial truck on the Capital Beltway or the Baltimore-Washington Parkway can cause catastrophic injuries that a typical car accident never would. The size and weight difference between an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle means truck accident victims in Prince George’s County frequently suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, multiple fractures, and fatal injuries. Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers represents truck accident victims throughout Prince George’s County, including crashes in Upper Marlboro, Bowie, Hyattsville, College Park, and Largo, and has recovered over $90 million for injured clients across Maryland.

Who Is Liable for a Truck Accident in Maryland?

Truck accident liability in Maryland frequently extends beyond the driver. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations and Maryland law allow injured victims to pursue claims against multiple parties, depending on what caused the crash.

School Bus Crash Sends Bus Into A Creek

January 31, 2026 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A school bus crash can scare a whole community, even when the students are physically okay. On February 2, 2026, a school bus with students inside went off Raley Boulevard in Sacramento and ended up in a creek, according to reports. The update said the students were accounted for and not injured, while the driver went to the hospital with a complaint of pain.

Stories like this also hit close to home for Maryland families, since school-day crashes raise the same practical questions anywhere: who might be responsible, which insurance pays first, and what happens if injuries show up later.

What The Reported Details Suggest About How These Crashes Happen