Four interstates, I-65, I-69, I-70 and I-74, meet at Indianapolis, and the warehouses around Plainfield, Whitestown, Greenwood and the airport keep semis rolling day and night. Most truck drivers do a hard job well. When one doesn't, an 80,000-pound truck doesn't leave a minor crash behind.
Why a truck case isn't just a bigger car case
Several companies may share responsibility: the driver, the motor carrier, whoever loaded the trailer, the trailer's owner, a repair shop. Federal safety rules also apply:
- Hours of service (49 CFR Part 395). Limits on driving and on-duty time, tracked by electronic logging devices.
- Inspection and maintenance (49 CFR Part 396). Brakes, tires and lights have to be inspected and kept up.
- Drug and alcohol testing (49 CFR Part 382).
- Minimum insurance (49 CFR Part 387). Interstate carriers must carry far higher limits than ordinary drivers.
Electronic logs, dash-camera video and engine data can be overwritten if nobody asks the carrier to keep them. That is one reason not to wait.
What to do now
- Get medical care.
- Write down the company name and the USDOT number on the cab door if you can. You can look the carrier up on the FMCSA SAFER site.
- Get the crash report. On the interstates, that is often the Indiana State Police. See getting a crash report.
- Don't sign anything or give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer before talking to a lawyer.
Our fee on truck crash cases
Truck traffic is heaviest on I-465, through Hendricks County and around Marion County. We help across the whole service area.
Call (317) 780-8000.
Sources
- FMCSA regulations (49 CFR Parts 382, 387, 395, 396): www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations
- FMCSA SAFER company lookup: safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49: www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49