After a semi truck collision in Waco, the proof sits in the truck, the trailer and the files the trucking company keeps. Federal trucking regulations cover the trailer’s rear guard, its brakes, its tires and the way the cargo is secured.
Zinda Law Group can talk through your Waco truck accident at (800) 863-5312. You pay nothing unless we win.
Article summary
Key things to know
- Federal safety rules define the truck tractor and the semitrailer and set equipment and record-keeping duties for the trucking company.
- Carriers must keep required driver logs for at least six months, so the request to preserve them has to go out early.
- Texas bars recovery for a person found more than 50 percent responsible and reduces everyone else’s damages by their percentage.
- McLennan County lists the 170th and 414th District Courts as courts of general jurisdiction that handle civil matters.
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Were you hurt by an 18-wheeler near Waco?
Describe the crash and ask which records to request and whether a deadline is near.
What a Waco truck accident attorney does after an 18-wheeler crash
A truck accident attorney handles truck accident cases against truck drivers and the trucking company behind them. Once hired, the lawyer starts the claims process by preserving evidence. A written request asks the company to keep the truck, the trailer, the logs and the repair files.
The lawyer also gathers police reports, medical records, dashcam footage and black box data, and reviews the insurance coverage. Federal rules set a $750,000 minimum in financial responsibility for many for-hire interstate freight carriers, and a minimum is not a case value. The lawyer can answer the insurance companies and weigh an offer against the medical expenses, lost wages and future medical needs. Talk to a truck accident lawyer early, and give the trucking company’s insurer no recorded statement before then.
Not every truck accident involves an 18-wheeler. Commercial truck cases also include dump truck and delivery van crashes, which are Waco truck accident claims even when no trailer is attached. A truck accident lawyer checks the carrier’s files against the safety rules that apply to that commercial truck. A semi truck crash elsewhere may involve those rules and other deadlines.
How the law describes an 18-wheeler
People call these tractor trailer combinations 18-wheelers, semi trucks or big rigs.
Under federal safety rules, a truck tractor is a self-propelled commercial motor vehicle designed or used primarily for drawing other vehicles. A semitrailer is a towed vehicle built so that part of its weight rests on the vehicle pulling it. NHTSA reported that 70 percent of people killed in 2024 large-truck traffic crashes were occupants of other vehicles.
Federal safety regulations for the commercial truck and the trailer
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enforces these rules. Even if a driver broke a rule, that does not prove fault by itself.
In a rear underride accident, a car or other smaller vehicle slides under a trailer. Most trailers and semitrailers rated at 10,000 pounds or more and built on or after January 26, 1998 must carry a rear impact guard under federal rules.
Federal rules require a truck’s cargo to be loaded and secured so it does not leak, spill, blow or fall from the vehicle. A carrier may not require or permit a driver to operate the truck unless the cargo is properly distributed and adequately secured.
A truck must have brakes adequate to stop and hold the vehicle or combination, acting on all wheels. The brake rules list some exceptions. Under federal rules, a truck may not run on a flat tire or one with an audible leak.
A commercial truck crash can follow brake failure or defective equipment. Sometimes a mechanical failure happens or a tire blows. Improper maintenance can show up in the maintenance history a motor carrier must keep.
Driver and carrier records after a truck accident
Federal limits generally let property-carrying drivers drive 11 hours within 14 hours of starting duty after 10 consecutive hours off. Texas intrastate rules differ. Federal rules generally bar a truck driver from driving while fatigue, illness or any other cause makes it unsafe. Duty-hour logs can help a lawyer check whether driver fatigue played a part.
| Record | Kept for | Federal rule |
|---|---|---|
| Records of duty status and supporting documents | At least six months | 49 CFR 395.8 |
| Driver vehicle inspection reports | Three months | 49 CFR 396.11 |
| Inspection, repair and maintenance records | One year, and six months after the truck leaves its control, for a truck the carrier controls 30 consecutive days | 49 CFR 396.3 |
Cargo records, trucking company records on driver conduct and the maintenance file can all help establish fault. After a fatal truck accident on a public road in commerce, federal rules generally require alcohol and drug tests of each surviving driver who was performing safety-sensitive functions.
Truck crashes on I-35, US 84 and SH 6 in Waco
In its Waco District profile from December 2024, TxDOT lists McLennan County work on Interstate 35 and the SH 6 Twin Bridges at Lake Waco. A U.S. 84 project is listed as planned.
TxDOT counted 3,096 reportable crashes of all kinds inside Waco city limits in 2025, and 13 of them were fatal. It counted 423 crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle in McLennan County in 2025, and 6 of them were fatal. It covers commercial vehicles generally, not only 18-wheelers, and says nothing about fault.
Who can be held liable after a Waco truck accident
A truck wreck with a tractor trailer can raise complex liability issues, because in truck accident cases multiple parties may stand behind one truck. A Waco truck accident lawyer looks at who controlled the commercial truck, the trailer and the load.
- The truck driver, when the truck driver’s own negligence caused the crash
- The trucking company, for an employee’s negligence within the course and scope of employment, or for its own negligence that caused the truck accident
- A cargo loader, when negligent cargo securement caused the crash
- A maintenance provider or parts maker, when negligent work or a defective part led to the crash
How shared fault works after a Texas truck accident claim
In a Texas personal injury claim, a person whose percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent may not recover damages. The insurance companies may argue that the injured person shares the fault. An injured person who is not barred has the damages reduced by that percentage.
Filing deadlines
Questions about how much time you have?
What truck accident victims with serious injuries can recover
A truck accident lawyer seeks to recover money from the liable parties for what the truck accident cost you. Accident victims with serious injuries or severe injuries may recover money for both kinds of loss. Economic damages compensate actual economic or pecuniary loss. Noneconomic damages compensate losses such as physical pain and suffering and mental or emotional pain or anguish.
- Medical bills already incurred, limited to the amount actually paid or incurred by or on behalf of the claimant
- Lost wages
- Repair costs or lost value for a vehicle you own
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental or emotional pain or anguish
If a truck accident is fatal, a Texas wrongful death action is for the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse, children and parents. Our Waco wrongful death lawyers can explain which family member may bring a wrongful death claim.
A Waco truck accident lawyer cannot value a claim from a settlement average. The harm, the proof and how fault is shared all affect any recovery or fair settlement for injury victims.
Deadlines and courts for a Texas truck accident
In truck accident cases, the general Texas truck accident claim deadline for a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the day the claim accrues. A claim that does not settle can go to one of McLennan County’s district courts, and the county lists its courthouse in Waco. A Waco truck accident attorney can check which deadline applies to a truck case.
When you are ready
Talk through the next step.
Talk to a personal injury law firm in Waco, Texas
The case evaluation page takes your details online, or call for a free consultation about recovering compensation. When you call our law firm, ask a Waco truck accident attorney about the truck wreck and the trucking company. Ask about records and deadlines for truck accident victims in Central Texas.
Zinda Law Group is a personal injury law firm with an office at 7215 Bosque Boulevard, Suite 107, Waco, TX 76710. Ask our Waco personal injury lawyers about motor vehicle accidents and other personal injury cases. A rider hit by a truck may have a Waco motorcycle accident claim. A Waco car accident claim may involve truck records, while a Waco dog bite claim raises different liability questions.
South on I-35 lies Bell County, where US 190 runs through Temple to Killeen. State law generally sets the fault rules and deadlines for injury claims after a Texas truck accident.
Texas generally bars handheld texting while driving, a form of distracted driving. Riders hurt in Austin scooter crashes have different claims. I-35 runs south toward San Antonio and, as I-35W, north to Fort Worth.
Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to secure the legal representation you need.
Founder and CEO
John C. (Jack) Zinda
Jack founded Zinda Law Group and focuses his practice on catastrophic personal injury, 18-wheeler accidents and wrongful death.
