Key differences between truck and car accidents
Although both involve motor vehicles, truck accidents differ significantly from car accidents in terms of scale, complexity, and legal implications.
- Truck Accident Law Team
- 2 min read
Article 2 of 5 in Introduction to Truck Accident Law/
Key Differences Between Truck and Car Accidents
1. Vehicle Size and Weight
- Trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded, compared to 3,000–4,000 pounds for most passenger cars.
- The massive weight difference means truck accidents often cause more severe injuries, fatalities, and property damage.
2. Stopping Distance and Maneuverability
- Trucks need 20–40% longer stopping distances than cars.
- Their limited maneuverability increases the risk of rollovers, jackknifes, and wide-turn collisions.
3. Regulatory Oversight
- Car drivers are regulated primarily by state traffic laws.
- Truck drivers and companies must comply with additional federal regulations, such as Hours of Service (HOS) limits, maintenance inspections, and cargo securement rules enforced by the FMCSA.
4. Liability Complexity
- In car accidents, liability usually falls on the driver.
- In truck accidents, liability can extend to the driver, trucking company, maintenance contractors, cargo loaders, and manufacturers, making legal proceedings more complex.
5. Insurance Coverage
- Car drivers typically carry personal auto insurance policies with relatively low limits.
- Trucking companies are required to maintain much higher insurance coverage (often in the millions of dollars), which makes cases more adversarial and closely scrutinized.
6. Evidence Availability
- Car accident cases usually rely on police reports, photos, and witness testimony.
- Truck accident cases often involve Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), “black box” data, GPS records, and maintenance logs, offering more evidence but requiring specialized analysis.
7. Severity of Outcomes
- Car accidents can cause serious harm, but truck accidents are far more likely to result in catastrophic injury or wrongful death due to the force of impact.
Summary: Truck accidents differ from car accidents not just in size and impact, but also in the legal, regulatory, and investigative complexities. These differences make specialized legal expertise essential when handling truck accident claims.
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