Airplanes Have Them and So Do Commercial Trucks. The Commercial Truck Black Box.

In the (thankfully) rare instances when an airplane crashes, airline companies and the federal government need information to find out what went wrong, to prevent it from happening again. They do this by means of a “flight recorder” also known as a “black box.”(Why this is so when flight recorders are actually orange, is anyone’s guess.)

A flight recorder is an electronic recording device that is in the aircraft. Its purpose is to record the airplane’s flight history. In the event of a crash, the information on the flight recorder can assist officials in investigating the cause of the crash.

Commercial Trucks and Black Boxes

Much like the airline industry, commercial trucking is heavily regulated by the federal government. Also similar to the airline industry, when a crash involving a big commercial truck occurs, the results are devastating.

As a result, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) require interstate commercial trucks to be equipped with Electronic Logging Devices (“ELDs”). These ELDs are the equivalent of the airline’s “black box.” They record information and data gained from the last 5-10 seconds before the crash. This information is critical in reconstructing what the truck driver and the vehicle were doing right before the crash. The truck’s black box also monitors a truck driver’s driving time to ensure that drivers comply with the federal hours of service laws.

After the Crash

Commercial truck accidents are not only devastating to the victims in the cars involved in the accident, but they heavily impact the trucking company as well. A commercial truck accident often ends in a personal injury lawsuit involving the trucking company. It can also cost the company time and money due to federal violations.

The point of all this is that the evidence establishing the truck driver’s or truck company’s negligence is frequently found in the truck’s black box. Not surprisingly, then, if you are involved in a truck crash, you need to get your hands on the truck’s black box. Meanwhile, the trucking company is not going to want you to have it and is not going to want that evidence to stick around.

This means that you need to move fast to ensure that the evidence in the black box is preserved. Your best chance for doing this is to hire a trucking accident attorney as soon as possible. Without the assistance of counsel, there is a good chance that the information in the black box could disappear or be destroyed in the ordinary course of business— especially if the vehicle is salvaged or later sold.

Fighting To Get You The Compensation You Deserve

If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck crash, contact us. We are experienced trucking accident attorneys. We offer FREE consultations and we don’t get paid unless you win. We have offices in Baton Rouge, and we serve Baker, Denham, Gonzales, Port Allen, Prairieville, New Orleans, and Zachary. Call 225-200-0000 ToDay to schedule your free consultation or email us.