The federal layer most truck claims run on
Most commercial trucks in interstate commerce are governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, and three pieces come up in claims more than any others. Hours-of-service rules limit a property-carrying driver to 11 hours of driving inside a 14-hour window after 10 consecutive hours off duty, require a 30-minute break after 8 cumulative hours of driving, and cap on-duty time at 60 or 70 hours over 7 or 8 days. Most trucks record duty status on an electronic logging device, and carriers must keep those records and their supporting documents for six months. Post-crash drug and alcohol testing is required in defined situations — after a fatality, or when the driver is cited for a moving violation and someone is treated away from the scene or a vehicle is towed. None of those rules decides a claim by itself, but a violation can be evidence of negligence, and the records are where the answer usually lives.
The record clock is shorter than the legal clock
Arizona generally allows two years to file most injury claims. Truck records don't wait that long. The six-month retention rule is a floor, camera footage along the freight corridors through Phoenix is commonly overwritten within weeks, and routine onboard data can be replaced in the normal course of business unless someone asks that it be kept. A written preservation request — sent early and naming the driver logs, the truck's onboard data, dispatch and maintenance records, and any dashcam video — is one of the first things to expect from a firm that handles truck cases. It's a fair question to ask what a firm preserves in the first week, and how.
More than one party may be responsible
A truck claim may involve the driver, the motor carrier that employs or leases the driver, the owner of the tractor or the trailer, the company that loaded the cargo, and a maintenance contractor. Federal rules set a floor of $750,000 in liability coverage for most interstate for-hire carriers, and many carry more — which matters in a serious injury case, where the available coverage often shapes the recovery. Arizona also allows a defendant to name other parties who may share fault, generally within 150 days of answering a complaint, so a complete claim identifies everyone early rather than late.
Arizona rules that still apply
Partial fault reduces a claim by percentage; it does not end it — Arizona follows pure comparative negligence. If a city, county, or state vehicle or roadway condition is involved, a notice of claim must be served within 180 days. Your own policy may matter too: uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can apply when the responsible vehicle carries less coverage than the injuries require, and Arizona insurers are required to offer it.
Questions worth asking any firm
What gets preserved in the first week, and how. Whether the firm identifies every carrier, owner, and insurer on the truck side as a standard step. Who the point of contact will be, and how often updates come. Whether the firm prepares truck cases as if they may need to go the distance. And what the written fee agreement says — the percentage, how case costs are handled, and whether anything changes as the case progresses. Any firm should be glad to put those answers in writing.
Where we fit
Saguaro Injury Law handles truck accident cases from offices across Phoenix and the Valley, in English and Spanish, and treats the preservation and multi-party questions above as the first week's work. The specifics are on our Phoenix truck accident lawyer page, the law is covered in our Arizona truck accident guide, and our car accident guide for Phoenix covers the rules that apply to any crash. A free consultation is available any hour — in English or Spanish. (602) 217-0000.