Georgia Log Truck Accidents – Frequently Asked Questions

Pulpwood pine forests and paper mills are dominant features across most of rural Georgia. That’s fine, but the forest products industry has a strong presence in Georgia economics and politics, so log truck safety rules and enforcement are lax. Our attorneys have long experience representing Georgians badly injured and families of those killed in nasty crashes with dangerously loaded and poorly maintained log trucks all across Georgia. We won’t publish our “secret sauce” for the insurance company representatives to see, but here are some points that often come up.

Why are Georgia log truck accidents so dangerous?

Because of lax state rules and sloppy practices in loading tree length trees for transport to mills, log trucks in Georgia often carry extra-long logs that protrude out more than a car length behind the end of the trailer. These logs can be hard to see, especially at night, in predawn or evening twilight, or in poor weather. If a car hits the end of these logs, they can impale the car causing brain injury, other serious injuries, or wrongful death.

How much insurance are Georgia log trucks required to have?

Georgia only requires $100,000 in liability insurance for log trucks that stay within the state. That’s not enough for cases involving serious injury or wrongful death. We have fought these battles many times know how to find extra layers of insurance to help victims recover much more. In a recent case, a log truck had only $100,000 insurance coverage but we recovered $1,600,000.

Can long logs block a following driver’s view of a truck’s tail lights?

Yes. Logs that stick out too far from the end of a trailer can bounce down toward the pavement, hide the truck’s lights, and make it hard for other drivers to tell how long the load is. This creates visual confusion and increases the risk of crashes—especially in darkness or morning or evening twilight.

Do long logs swing out on turns?

Yes. Tail swing happens when long logs swing wide during turns. They can strike vehicles in nearby lanes. We represented the family of a man killed when a log truck attempted a U-turn on a divided four-lane highway in predawn darkness, leaving his long load of logs extending like an invisible black fence across an entire traffic lane.

Are Georgia’s rules on log truck safety strong enough?`

No. Log trucks that stay inside the Georgia state lines are supposed to follow the Georgia Forest Products Trucking Rules, not the tougher Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations that governs big trucks that cross state lines or the Georgia Transportation Safety Rulebook that applies to other types of trucks operating only in Georgia. These state rules were mostly made by the logging industry and don’t cover many serious dangers, like long logs sticking far off the trailer.

Does Georgia check log trucks for safety?

Not enough. Georgia law says the end of the load much have a red flag and a red light plainly visible from 500 feet. However, most log trucks we see on the highway have only a poorly maintained load light barely visible at 50 feet and the flags usually are just stained rags. Deputy sheriffs in rural counties where log trucks operate are rarely trained on what to look for. The few state enforcement officers are spread too thing, so unsafe trucks usually go unchecked.

Are Georgia log truck drivers properly trained?

Usually not. In Georgia, log truck drivers can be as young as 18 and only need basic commercial drivers license training on how to operate a tractor trailer. That training does not cover issues specific to log trucks. Most are not taught the special dangers of hauling long logs. This lack of training puts everyone on the road at risk. In a recent fatal crash case, the log truck driver was a recent immigrant from Guatemala who had just recently learned to drive a truck. He had no training about the specific dangers of log trucks such as overly long loads.

Are officers responding to log truck crashes well-trained on log truck safety hazards?

No. The routine traffic accident investigation training does not include crucial specifics on log truck safety issues. Without adequate training, a well-meaning officer may miss important details, like how far the logs stick out or how visible the trailer was. If they don’t know to look for something, they don’t ask about it, include it in their reports, or make the right photos. Based on long experience, we know how to ferret out a lot of details the officers may miss.

Are rural law enforcement officers and jurors biased in favor of loggers and log truck drivers?

People naturally tend to view facts through the lens of their life experience. In many rural counties across Georgia, the forest products industry plays a big role in the local economy. Deputy sheriffs, state troopers and jurors likely have friends and relatives employed in growing, harvesting and hauling pine trees to paper and fiber board mills. They are accustomed to seeing unsafe practices in log truck operations and likely rationalize that it must be OK. Through long experience, we have found ways to get these cases into courts in urban counties where judges and jurors are not accustomed to seeing unsafe log trucking practices every day.

What bad assumptions to officers and jurors make about anyone who hits long logs hanging off the end of a log truck?

A lot of people tend to blame the victim in such accidents. They often assume that the driver who was injured or killed must have been drinking, on drugs, or distracted by a cell phone. It is routine for victims to be checked for alcohol and drugs at the hospital or autopsy. It is very important to preserve the cell phone without tampering. One of the first things we do when hired on a serious log truck case is to order a forensic examination of the victim’s cell phone to rule out that issue. In a recent case, we were able to send the insurance company a detailed technical report showing that the man who was killed had not used his phone in the previous two hours. it also showed an automated call to 911 documented the exact time of the crash.

What should I do if a family members was badly injured or killed in a log truck accident?

Do not make a recorded or written statement to the insurance company. Preserve the cell phone.
Then contact Johnson & Ward right away. We’ve handled many log truck injury and death cases across Georgia over many years. Let our experience work for you.

No fee unless we win for you.

Call us now at 404-253-7862 or fill out our free case review form. If a log truck crash badly hurt you or a member of your family, we’re ready to fight for the justice you deserve.

Founded in 1949, Johnson & Ward was the first and best personal injury and wrongful death specialty law firm in Georgia. Our attorneys have extensive experience representing clients in catastrophic truck accident cases, including those involving log trucks on Georgia’s rural highways.

Ken Shigley, senior counsel at Johnson & Ward, is a former president of the State Bar of Georgia (2011-12) and former chair of the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Georgia. He was the first Georgia lawyer to earn three board certifications from the National Board of Trial Advocacy (Civil Trial Advocacy, Civil Pretrial Advocacy, and Truck Accident Law). In 2019, he received the Traditions of Excellence Award for lifetime achievement. Mr. Shigley was the lead author of eleven editions of Georgia Law of Torts: Trial Preparation and Practice (Thomson Reuters, 2010-21). He graduated from Furman University and Emory University Law School, and completed certificate courses in trial practice, negotiation and mediation at Harvard Law School.