Imagine you are driving along, and a car crashes into you. They say it was your fault, and you say it was theirs. If one of you has a dashcam, that will make things clearer, yet most cars do not. If you think they were speeding, how can you prove it?
It becomes simpler in a crash with a truck, thanks to the amount of technology they have on board. The law requires truckers to carry equipment and record things that are not expected of private drivers. Getting hold of the information the technology provides could help you show the trucker was at fault.
What does the law require?
In 2018 the government introduced the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate. Truck drivers have had to record driving hours for years. Yet previous to this law, most did it by hand, leaving room for falsification by the drivers or freight companies. Now the ELD does it automatically, monitoring the engine to record driving hours and rest breaks. If you discover that the driver who hit you broke hours of service rules, it should make getting compensation easier.
Most freight companies install other electronic devices that could also give clues. For example:
- Tablets to coordinate deliveries: If you can show the driver was sending or reading messages at the time of the crash, proving distraction as the reason becomes simpler.
- Driver monitoring systems: By monitoring drivers constantly, companies can look for patterns. For instance, a driver that often brakes hard may be prone to distraction. Some companies complement this with in-cab cameras which can provide even more evidence as to what the driver was doing when the crash occurred.
Getting the full amount of compensation due can be difficult. Seeking legal help to understand how to collect the evidence you need will be crucial.