Harlingen Truck Accident Lawyer

Trucking companies are governed by federal safety rules (the FMCSA regulations) that ordinary drivers are not, and the evidence is different: electronic logging device (ELD) black-box data, driver hours-of-service logs, dispatch records, and maintenance files. There are also usually multiple liable parties and much larger insurance policies. Proving a trucking case means investigating the carrier itself — not just the driver — which takes a lawyer who handles these cases specifically.

A spoliation letter is a formal legal demand that orders the trucking company to preserve evidence — the ELD/black-box data, the driver's logs, the dashcam footage, the maintenance records — instead of letting it be deleted or written over. Black-box data can be overwritten in a matter of days. Sending these letters immediately is one of the most important early steps in a trucking case, and it's why you should call a lawyer right away rather than wait.

Often more than one party. Liability can fall on the truck driver, the motor carrier that employed or contracted the driver, the freight broker that hired the carrier, the shipper that loaded the cargo, the company responsible for maintenance, and sometimes the manufacturer of a defective part. Each one may carry its own insurance. We investigate the entire chain so your recovery isn't limited to a single driver's policy.

Federal hours-of-service rules limit how long a commercial driver can be behind the wheel before mandatory rest — generally no more than 11 driving hours after 10 consecutive hours off. The electronic logging device records this automatically. When the ELD data shows a driver exceeded those limits or the carrier falsified the logs, it's powerful, documented evidence of a federal safety violation that helps establish the trucking company's negligence.