Why an 18-Wheeler Case Is Not a Bigger Car Case

When an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer hits a passenger car, the physics are unforgiving — and so is the litigation. Trucking companies are required to carry higher insurance limits, which means their carriers defend claims harder and earlier.

The evidence is different, too. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations govern hours of service, maintenance, and driver qualification. Electronic logging devices and engine control modules record speed, braking, and hours behind the wheel — but carriers are only obligated to preserve some of it for a limited time.

That's why we send spoliation letters within days of being retained, legally requiring the carrier to preserve the truck, its data, and the driver's file. Wait a month, and the most damning evidence may be legally destroyed.

Multiple parties can share fault: the driver, the carrier, the broker, the shipper, even a maintenance contractor. Untangling that web is the work — and it's where verdicts are made.