A tractor-trailer can weigh far more than a passenger car, and a crash between the two can cause serious injuries. Federal rules set a minimum amount of insurance for many commercial carriers, and that number affects how a claim is built. This post explains the minimums and what they mean for people hurt on Utah roads.
Federal Rules Set a Minimum for Commercial Trucks
Title 49, Section 387.9 of the Code of Federal Regulations lists minimum levels of financial responsibility for motor carriers. For a for-hire carrier moving nonhazardous property in interstate or foreign commerce, with a vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more, the minimum is $750,000. Interstates 15 and 80 run through the Salt Lake Valley, and carriers that cross state lines are subject to this rule.
Some Cargo Raises the Minimum
The same schedule sets higher amounts for hazardous loads. Oil listed in the federal hazardous materials table, hazardous waste, and certain other hazardous substances carry a $1,000,000 minimum. Specified bulk hazardous materials, including certain explosives and highway route controlled quantities of radioactive material, carry a $5,000,000 minimum. What a truck was hauling can change which figure applies.
A Minimum Is Not a Ceiling or a Promise
The schedule describes the least a carrier must hold, not what a crash is worth. Serious injuries can produce medical bills, lost income, and long-term care costs that outrun any single policy. Some carriers hold more than the minimum, so the actual limits are worth confirming early. An injured person should never assume the first number an insurer mentions is the full amount available.
Information to Request About the Policy
Early requests can keep important details from disappearing. A claim may start with a written request for:
- The motor carrier’s name and its insurance company
- The policy limits and any additional layers of coverage
- The driver’s logs and the truck’s inspection records
- The cargo description and loading records
Records about the load can reveal more than one responsible party. The hazards of unsecured cargo show why loaders and shippers sometimes belong in the picture.
More Than One Party May Share Responsibility
Responsibility can reach the driver, the carrier, a maintenance shop, or a manufacturer. A defect in a truck part, for example, may point away from the driver. Cases involving poor manufacturing in a truck component raise questions about the maker as well as the operator.
Drivers who work long hours add another layer. Hours-of-service records and dispatch messages, which a fatigue driver accident lawyer can review, may show whether tired driving played a part.
Evidence Disappears Faster Than Most People Expect
Trucks are repaired, sold, or returned to service, and electronic data can be overwritten. Photograph the scene, the vehicles, and your injuries as soon as it’s safe. Write down the carrier’s name from the door, the plate numbers, and the USDOT number if you can see it. Witness names help too, and there are ways witnesses can help support a truck crash case.
Fault Can Be Shared
A carrier’s insurer may argue that the injured person caused part of the crash. Understanding how partial fault affects a claim helps you avoid statements that could be misread. Stick to facts when dealing with anyone from the other side.
Local Help After a Salt Lake City Truck Crash
Truck claims bring in federal rules, company policies, and multiple insurers at once. Gathering the right records and identifying every responsible party goes more smoothly with a Salt Lake City truck accident lawyer involved.
Not every commercial vehicle is a tractor-trailer. Delivery vans, box trucks, and similar vehicles can go to a commercial vehicle accident lawyer as well.
Attorney Miner Handles Injury Claims at the Firm
At Rasmussen & Miner, attorney Robert C. Miner brings more than four decades of legal experience in criminal defense, personal injury, and medical malpractice. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1978 and then earned his J.D. from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1981.
Next Steps After a Truck Crash
Save every document from the crash, write down what the driver and any officers said, and keep your medical records in one place. Anyone hurt in a collision with a commercial truck can reach out to us to learn how the insurance rules may apply.
