Why truck cases are different
An 80,000-pound commercial vehicle that hits a passenger car produces injury severities that ordinary auto-accident law is not designed for. The dollar exposure is also dramatically higher — interstate truckers carry minimum $750,000–$1,000,000 policies under federal law, and most carry significantly more. Identifying every defendant and every available policy is the most important early step in a truck case.
Defendants in a California truck case
Every serious truck case starts with identifying the full defendant pool: the driver personally, the trucking company that employed or contracted with them, any motor carrier broker that arranged the load, the equipment owner (often a separate entity from the operator), the maintenance contractor, and the manufacturer of any defective component. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) records, Electronic Logging Device (ELD) data, dispatch records, and maintenance logs all become discoverable.
Evidence preservation — fast
Trucking companies are required to preserve ELD records for at least six months, dispatch records for one year, and driver qualification files for three years after employment ends — but evidence routinely disappears the moment a lawsuit notice arrives unless an attorney sends a preservation letter immediately. We send those letters within 48 hours of being retained.
Federal regulations and how they create liability
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR Parts 350–399) govern hours of service, driver qualifications, vehicle maintenance, drug and alcohol testing, and load securement. A violation of any of these rules is generally considered negligence per se in California. We investigate every applicable regulation in every truck case.
Free case review
If you or a family member has been hit by a commercial truck in California, call (213) 380-9310 for a free case review. The first 30 days are critical for evidence preservation.