18-Wheeler and Commercial Truck Injury Attorneys Serving Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and All of Texas
You were just hit by an 18-wheeler, an oilfield rig, a delivery truck, or a commercial vehicle. Maybe you survived. Maybe a family member didn’t. Either way, the trucking company already has investigators on the ground, a defense team in motion, and one job: limit what they pay. Texas truck accident law gives you the right to hold the driver, the trucking company, and every other responsible party accountable — but those rights don’t enforce themselves, and the trucking industry knows exactly how to defeat unrepresented claimants. We’ve recovered millions for Texas families injured in commercial truck crashes, and we know how to dismantle the trucking industry’s playbook.
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- Top 100 Super Lawyers Houston (Thomson Reuters, 2020–2025)
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum (Lifetime Member)
- AV Preeminent Rated (Martindale-Hubbell)
- Statewide Texas representation — offices in Houston, Dallas, Austin, Lakeway, San Antonio, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, and Katy
What’s Already Happening Behind the Scenes After a Truck Crash
Truck accidents are not regular car accidents. The investigation has already started — by the trucking company, not for you. Within hours of the crash:
- The trucking company has dispatched a “rapid response team” to the crash scene. This includes lawyers, investigators, accident reconstructionists, and adjusters — all working to build a defense.
- The driver has been pulled aside and prepped. Statements made to company representatives are protected and shaped to limit liability.
- Electronic Logging Device (ELD) data, dashcam footage, and GPS records are being preserved selectively. What helps the trucking company stays. What hurts them tends to disappear if a preservation letter doesn’t arrive in time.
- The truck may already be back on the road, repaired, or scrapped — destroying critical physical evidence.
- The driver’s qualification file, training records, and prior violations are being reviewed internally for damage control.
Every day you wait, the trucking company gets stronger and your case gets weaker. The first 30 days after a crash are when most evidence is lost — or preserved — for good.
What Counts as a Truck Accident Claim Under Texas Law
To recover compensation in a Texas commercial truck accident case, you have to prove four legal elements — but truck cases involve layers most car accident cases never touch:
- Duty — The driver and trucking company owed a duty of care. Commercial drivers and motor carriers are held to higher standards than ordinary motorists under federal regulations.
- Breach — They failed to meet that duty (federal regulation violations, driver negligence, company-level safety failures).
- Causation — That failure caused the crash and your injuries.
- Damages — You suffered measurable harm.
What makes truck cases different is the breach element. Commercial trucking is governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) — codified at 49 CFR Parts 350–399 — which create dozens of specific duties beyond ordinary driving safety. Violations of these regulations are powerful evidence of negligence, and trucking defense lawyers know exactly which ones plaintiffs miss.
Who Can Be Held Liable in a Texas Truck Accident
- The truck driver
- The trucking company / motor carrier
- The truck owner (when separate from the carrier)
- Cargo shippers and loading companies
- Maintenance contractors
- Truck and component manufacturers (in defective product cases)
- Oilfield operators, drilling companies, and field service contractors
- Brokers and freight intermediaries (in negligent hiring/selection cases)
- Lessors of trucks or trailers
Common Texas Truck Accident Cases We Handle
Different commercial truck crashes involve different liability patterns, different federal regulations, and different defense tactics. If your situation looks like one of these, you may have a strong claim.
18-Wheeler and Tractor-Trailer Crashes
A fully loaded 18-wheeler can weigh 80,000 pounds — 20 to 30 times the weight of a passenger car. When something goes wrong, the consequences are catastrophic. These cases routinely involve fatalities and life-altering injuries.
Oilfield Truck Accidents
Texas leads the nation in oilfield trucking activity, particularly across the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford, and Barnett Shale regions. Oilfield trucking accidents involve unique factors: long hours under federal exemptions, heavily loaded equipment, multiple corporate contractors, and remote crash locations. Liability often spans the trucking company, the operator, the well owner, and field service contractors.
Rear-End and Underride Crashes
When a passenger vehicle collides with the rear or side of a trailer, “underride” crashes can cause the smaller vehicle to slide beneath the truck. These are some of the most fatal truck crash types and often involve missing or inadequate underride guards.
Jackknife and Rollover Accidents
Jackknife crashes occur when the trailer swings out perpendicular to the cab — usually caused by improper braking, speed in adverse conditions, or driver inexperience. Rollovers frequently involve overloaded or improperly loaded cargo.
Wide-Turn and Blind-Spot Crashes
Commercial trucks have large blind spots (“no-zones”) and require extra space for right turns. Crashes in these zones are common at intersections and during merges, and often involve motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
Cargo-Related Crashes
Improperly loaded, secured, or balanced cargo can shift, fall, or destabilize the truck. Liability often extends to the cargo loading company or shipper — not just the trucking company.
Tire Blowout and Mechanical Failure Crashes
Tire failures, brake failures, and steering failures often trace back to inadequate maintenance or defective parts. Maintenance contractors and parts manufacturers can be liable alongside the trucking company.
Hazmat and Tanker Truck Crashes
Crashes involving hazardous materials, fuel, chemicals, or pressurized cargo can produce fires, explosions, and toxic exposure injuries. Hazmat carriers face additional federal regulations and higher insurance minimums.
Delivery and Last-Mile Truck Crashes
Amazon delivery vans, FedEx, UPS, and last-mile contractors operate under tight delivery schedules that often produce fatigued and rushed drivers. Liability often involves multiple corporate layers — including the brand-name shipper that contracted the delivery.
Why Texas Truck Accident Cases Require a Specialized Attorney
Truck cases are not scaled-up car accident cases. They involve federal regulations, multi-defendant liability, sophisticated corporate defendants, and evidence that disappears fast. Generalist personal injury attorneys routinely miss the elements that determine whether a truck case settles for six figures or seven figures — or settles at all.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR Parts 350–399)
The FMCSRs govern nearly every aspect of interstate commercial trucking. Common regulatory violations that strengthen Texas truck accident cases:
- Hours of Service violations (49 CFR Part 395) — Drivers cannot exceed 11 hours of driving in a 14-hour on-duty window, must take a 30-minute break after 8 hours, and are capped at 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days. Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) make these violations provable.
- Driver qualification failures (49 CFR Part 391) — Inadequate background checks, missed medical certifications, expired CDLs, prior violations the carrier should have caught.
- Drug and alcohol testing violations (49 CFR Part 382) — Pre-employment, random, post-accident, and reasonable-suspicion testing failures.
- Vehicle inspection and maintenance violations (49 CFR Part 396) — Pre-trip inspection failures, deferred maintenance, brake and tire failures.
- Cargo securement violations (49 CFR Part 393, Subpart I) — Improper loading, inadequate restraints, weight distribution failures.
The MCS-90 Endorsement
Federally regulated motor carriers must carry an MCS-90 endorsement — a federal financial responsibility filing that guarantees the public will be paid for crash injuries even when standard policy exclusions might apply. The MCS-90 is its own recovery vehicle in catastrophic cases and is frequently overlooked by inexperienced trucking attorneys.
Texas Modified Comparative Fault (§ 33.001)
Texas’s comparative fault rule applies to truck cases the same way it applies to car accidents. As long as you’re 50% or less at fault, you can recover — your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. Trucking defendants are aggressive about pushing fault onto injured claimants, often through manipulated reconstruction reports.
The Texas Stowers Doctrine
The Stowers Doctrine — from the 1929 Texas Supreme Court case G.A. Stowers Furniture Co. v. American Indemnity Co. — gives Texas plaintiffs a powerful tool against trucking insurers. When a clear-liability claim with damages exceeding policy limits is met by an unreasonable refusal to settle within limits, the insurer can be held liable for the entire judgment — even amounts above the policy. Strategic Stowers demands are how trucking insurers get forced to fair numbers.
The Two-Year Statute of Limitations (§ 16.003)
Texas gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. Claims against government entities (state DOT vehicles, municipal trucks) have shorter notice deadlines. Evidence in trucking cases — ELD data, dashcam footage, vehicle condition — disappears far faster than the statute period suggests.
Negligent Hiring, Training, and Supervision Claims
Texas allows direct claims against the trucking company itself when it negligently hired, trained, or supervised an unsafe driver. These claims often unlock punitive damages and create exposure beyond the driver’s individual liability.
How Trucking Companies and Insurers Defeat Valid Claims
The commercial trucking industry has spent decades perfecting its post-crash playbook. Knowing the tactics is half the defense.
Tactics That Cost Truck Accident Victims Millions
- The rapid response team. Within hours of a serious crash, the trucking company sends investigators, lawyers, and reconstruction experts to the scene. Their job is to control the narrative before victims even get out of the hospital.
- Selective evidence preservation. ELD data, dashcam footage, and GPS records that help the company stay. Records that hurt the company can be “lost” if a preservation letter doesn’t arrive in time.
- The truck back on the road. The vehicle gets repaired or returned to service before plaintiff investigators can examine it — destroying physical evidence.
- The “independent contractor” defense. The trucking company argues the driver was an independent contractor, not an employee, to avoid vicarious liability.
- The pretextual safety review. Internal investigations conducted under attorney-client privilege to keep damaging findings out of plaintiffs’ hands.
- Aggressive comparative fault attacks. Reconstruction reports designed to push 30%, 40%, or even 51% of fault onto the injured driver.
- Surveillance and social media monitoring. Trucking insurers routinely surveil claimants for months. A single photo can be used to dispute injury severity.
- Lowball “fast settlement” offers. Made before the victim has reached maximum medical improvement, sometimes before they’ve even left the hospital.
Mistakes That Sink Otherwise Strong Truck Cases
- Waiting weeks or months to hire an attorney while critical evidence is lost or destroyed
- Talking to the trucking company’s representatives or insurance adjusters without counsel
- Signing blanket medical authorizations that give the defense access to your entire medical history
- Posting on social media about the crash, your injuries, or even unrelated activities
- Accepting an early settlement offer before knowing the full extent of injuries and future medical costs
- Hiring a generalist personal injury attorney unfamiliar with FMCSR violations
How Our Texas Truck Accident Attorneys Build Your Case
A serious truck accident case is built — not filed. Here’s what we do, often within days of being retained.
- Immediate evidence preservation letters. Sent to the trucking company, motor carrier, broker, and insurers — formally demanding preservation of ELD data, dashcam footage, GPS logs, driver qualification files, maintenance records, dispatch records, and the truck itself.
- Crash scene investigation. We send investigators and accident reconstructionists to the scene to document road conditions, sight lines, skid marks, debris fields, and physical evidence before it’s altered.
- ELD and ECM data analysis. Modern trucks record speed, braking, throttle position, RPMs, hours driven, and dozens of other data points. We extract and analyze this data to establish what the driver was doing and how long they’d been driving.
- FMCSR compliance audit. We pull the carrier’s safety profile from FMCSA’s SAFER system, request the driver qualification file, and identify every regulatory violation that contributed to the crash.
- Driver and dispatcher depositions. Driver testimony and dispatcher records often reveal pressure to violate Hours of Service rules, falsified logs, and corporate-level safety failures.
- Multi-defendant liability mapping. We identify every potentially liable party — driver, motor carrier, owner, broker, shipper, loader, maintenance provider, and component manufacturer — before filing suit.
- Damages workup with life-care planners. Catastrophic truck injury cases require projections of lifetime medical costs, lost earning capacity, custodial care, and home modifications.
- Strategic Stowers demands. When liability is clear and damages exceed policy limits, we send Stowers demand letters that force trucking insurers to either settle within limits or face exposure for the full judgment.
- Trial-ready preparation. Trucking companies settle when they believe a plaintiff’s firm can — and will — try the case. We build every truck case as if it’s going to a jury.
What Is My Texas Truck Accident Case Worth?
Truck accident cases tend to be worth significantly more than ordinary car accident cases — not because the legal standards are different, but because the injuries are more severe and the available insurance is much larger. Federally regulated motor carriers are required to carry minimum liability coverage of $750,000 per crash, and many carry $1 million to $5 million policies. Hazmat carriers must carry up to $5 million.
Common Injuries in Texas Truck Accident Cases
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-concussion syndrome
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Severe orthopedic injuries and complex fractures
- Crush injuries and amputations
- Internal organ damage and internal bleeding
- Burn injuries (especially in fuel and tanker crashes)
- Severe lacerations, scarring, and disfigurement
- Catastrophic injuries requiring lifetime care
- Fatal injuries (wrongful death claims)
Recoverable Compensation in Texas Truck Cases
Economic Damages (No Cap)
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Vehicle repair or replacement
- Rehabilitation, therapy, and assistive equipment
- Custodial and long-term care costs
- Home modifications and lifestyle adaptations
Non-Economic Damages
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish and emotional distress
- Disfigurement and physical impairment
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
Punitive (Exemplary) Damages
Frequently available in truck cases involving gross negligence — Hours of Service violations, drug or alcohol use, willful regulatory violations, or knowingly putting an unsafe driver behind the wheel. Subject to caps under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 41.008.
What People Worry About Before Calling a Truck Accident Lawyer
“I can’t afford a lawyer.”
You don’t pay anything unless we win. Truck accident cases are handled on a contingency fee basis — no upfront cost, no hourly billing, no out-of-pocket expense for case investigation, expert witnesses, accident reconstruction, or filing fees. If we don’t recover, you owe us nothing.
“The trucking company already offered me a settlement. Should I just take it?”
Don’t sign anything without an attorney reviewing it. Early offers from trucking companies are almost always dramatically lower than the actual case value — they’re designed to close out claims before the full extent of injuries is known. Once you sign a release, the case is closed permanently, even if your injuries get worse.
“What if I was partially at fault?”
Texas’s modified comparative fault rule lets you recover as long as you’re 50% or less at fault. Trucking defendants will push hard to shift blame onto you — defending against fault-shifting is a core part of what we do.
“How long will my case take?”
Truck accident cases typically take 12 to 36 months. Catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases often take longer because damages projections require extended medical treatment and life-care planning. We give you a realistic timeline at the consultation.
“Do I have to go to court?”
Most truck accident cases settle before trial. Filing suit is often what triggers a fair settlement offer. We prepare every case as if it’s going to a jury — that’s exactly what motivates strong settlements from trucking insurers.
“What if my loved one was killed in the crash?”
Texas’s wrongful death statute allows surviving spouses, children, and parents to recover for the death of a loved one caused by another’s negligence. Wrongful death and survival action damages in commercial truck cases routinely reach the millions.
“What if the crash happened in a remote part of Texas?”
Many truck crashes — especially oilfield and long-haul cases — happen in rural Texas. We handle truck cases statewide and routinely litigate in venues across the state. Our offices in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Lakeway, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, and Katy position us across every major Texas trucking corridor.
“Is it too late to call?”
Probably not — but evidence disappears fast in truck cases. ELD data, dashcam footage, and the truck itself can all be lost or destroyed within weeks. Even if months have passed, call us. The faster we get involved, the more we can preserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a Texas truck accident case different from a regular car accident case?
Truck accident cases involve federal regulations (FMCSRs at 49 CFR Parts 350–399), multiple potentially liable parties (driver, carrier, broker, shipper, maintenance provider), much higher insurance limits ($750,000 to $5 million federal minimums), and sophisticated corporate defendants with rapid-response legal teams. The legal standards for negligence are similar, but the evidence, defendants, and tactics are completely different.
How much is a Texas truck accident case worth?
Truck cases typically settle for substantially more than car accident cases because injuries are more severe and available insurance is much larger. Federally regulated motor carriers must carry minimum liability of $750,000, and many carry $1 million to $5 million. Hazmat carriers must carry up to $5 million. Catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases routinely reach into the millions.
How long do I have to file a Texas truck accident lawsuit?
Texas’s two-year statute of limitations applies to truck accident personal injury and wrongful death claims under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003. Claims against government entities have shorter notice deadlines. Acting quickly preserves critical evidence — ELD data, dashcam footage, and the truck’s physical condition — that can disappear long before the statute runs.
What are FMCSA Hours of Service rules and why do they matter to my case?
Federal Hours of Service regulations (49 CFR Part 395) limit how long commercial drivers can operate. Property-carrying drivers are limited to 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour on-duty window, must take a 30-minute break after 8 hours, and are capped at 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days. Violations are a leading cause of fatigue-related truck crashes and can be proven through Electronic Logging Device (ELD) data.
What is an MCS-90 endorsement?
The MCS-90 is a federal endorsement that motor carriers must carry to satisfy their financial responsibility obligations under federal law. It guarantees that members of the public injured by the carrier will be compensated even when standard policy exclusions might apply. In catastrophic truck accident cases, the MCS-90 can provide an independent recovery source frequently overlooked by inexperienced attorneys.
Who can be sued after a Texas truck accident?
Potential defendants include the truck driver, the trucking company / motor carrier, the truck owner (if separate from the carrier), cargo shippers, loading companies, maintenance contractors, parts manufacturers, oilfield operators and contractors, freight brokers, and lessors. Identifying every responsible party is critical because different defendants carry different insurance and different liability exposure.
What is a Stowers demand and why does it matter in trucking cases?
A Stowers demand is a formal settlement offer made within the at-fault party’s insurance policy limits. Under Texas’s Stowers Doctrine, if the insurer unreasonably refuses a Stowers demand and the case results in a judgment exceeding policy limits, the insurer can be held liable for the entire amount — not just the policy limit. Stowers demands are particularly powerful in serious truck cases where injuries clearly exceed standard policy limits.
What if the trucking company says the driver was an “independent contractor”?
The “independent contractor” defense is one of the most common tactics in truck accident litigation. Federal trucking law and Texas case law both recognize that motor carriers can be held liable for the actions of contracted drivers under several theories — including negligent hiring, the “logo liability” rule, and direct corporate negligence in driver selection and supervision. Independent contractor status is rarely the case-killer trucking companies suggest.
Should I give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurance adjuster?
No. You are not required to give a recorded statement, and doing so almost always hurts your claim. Trucking adjusters are highly trained and ask questions designed to lock in answers they can use against you later. Let your attorney handle all communication with the trucking company and its insurers.
What if the truck driver was working for an oilfield company?
Oilfield trucking accidents involve unique liability issues. Liability often spans the trucking company, the operator, the well owner, field service contractors, and equipment providers. Texas’s master service agreements between oilfield contractors create complex indemnity webs that require careful legal analysis to untangle. These cases also frequently involve federal exemptions to Hours of Service rules that change the regulatory analysis.
Don’t Let the Trucking Company Decide Your Case
The trucking company’s lawyers, investigators, and adjusters are working right now to limit what you can recover. Every day you wait, evidence disappears — ELD data gets overwritten, the truck gets back on the road, witnesses become harder to find, and the two-year statute of limitations keeps running.
We offer 100% free, confidential case reviews for truck accident victims across Texas. We work on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win.
Request Your Free Case Review →
We’ll listen to what happened. We’ll tell you honestly whether you have a case. If you do, we’ll explain your options and the strategy we’d use to fight for you — anywhere in Texas.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts. The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.