When a commercial truck crashes in rural Missouri, the claims process is quite different from a typical car wreck. Along with dealing with your injuries and vehicle damage, you may have to find important evidence held by the trucking company or stored in the truck itself.
Federal rules require some carriers to keep records that you would not normally have after a car crash. Commercial trucks may also store electronic data about the trip or the vehicle. These extra sources of evidence can make a truck claim more complex from the start.
Federal rules require added records
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets safety rules for many commercial truck drivers and carriers. After an accident, the carrier has to keep information that may help explain what happened before a crash.
For example, electronic logging devices track a driver’s hours of service. Covered carriers must keep those duty logs and related documents for six months. They also have to keep certain files about truck inspections and repairs.
These records may provide useful details about the crash. Driver logs might show how long the driver had been working, while maintenance records can show how the carrier cared for the truck. You would not usually have access to the same information after a passenger car crash.
The truck may store crash data
Company files are only part of the evidence that may matter after a truck crash. Some commercial trucks also have electronic systems that store information about the vehicle.
What those systems record depends on the truck and its equipment. Some may capture speed or sudden changes in movement. Electronic logging devices serve a different purpose, and federal rules do not require them to record speed, braking or steering.
Storage also varies by system. Some devices keep only a limited amount of data and may replace older information over time. Preserving that data early might help keep useful crash evidence available.
Keeping useful information organized
You may want to keep the crash report, photos and details that identify the truck and carrier. Large trucking companies and their insurers may start reviewing a serious crash soon after it happens. Organizing your records early in the process may help you preserve useful evidence and prepare for the legal steps that follow.