Commercial Truck
Accidents
Federal regulations, black-box data, corporate defendants. We litigate against trucking companies and their insurers with precision.
Commercial truck accidents are not merely larger car crashes. They involve federal regulations, corporate defendants, complex insurance structures, and catastrophic injuries. The average commercial truck weighs 80,000 pounds — when negligence brings that weight into contact with a passenger vehicle, the results are devastating. These cases demand attorneys who understand the regulatory landscape and have the resources to litigate against well-funded corporate defendants.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) imposes strict rules on commercial trucking. Violations often prove negligence:
- Hours of Service regulations and electronic logging
- Mandatory rest periods and duty-time limits
- Vehicle inspection and maintenance requirements
- Drug and alcohol testing protocols
- Load securement and weight restrictions
Unlike a typical car accident, trucking cases may involve multiple parties with separate insurance policies:
- The driver (fatigue, impairment, training)
- The trucking company (hiring, supervision, maintenance)
- The broker or shipper (loading, scheduling pressure)
- The vehicle manufacturer (defective systems)
- Third-party maintenance providers
Modern commercial trucks are equipped with electronic control modules that record speed and braking data, engine performance, hours of operation, hard braking events, and GPS history. This data is the property of the trucking company — and they are not required to preserve it indefinitely. We issue litigation hold letters and restraining orders within hours of engagement to prevent spoliation. The preservation of this evidence is often the difference between a successful case and a dismissed one.
Trucking accidents frequently result in traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, amputation, and wrongful death. We work with life-care planners, vocational experts, and economists to document the full lifetime cost of these injuries — and we pursue every available policy limit.