Not every truck is an 18-wheeler
Federal safety and insurance rules attach to commercial vehicles by weight and use. The federal minimum liability floor — $750,000 for most interstate for-hire carriers — applies to vehicles rated at 10,001 pounds or more. Lighter delivery vans and many local box trucks fall under different rules, and their coverage can be a commercial auto policy, an employer's policy, or, for some contract drivers, a personal policy with commercial exclusions. Identifying the vehicle class and the company behind it is the first step, and it's a fair question to ask any firm how it does that.
Whose policy pays — and whether yours is part of it
With a heavy interstate truck, the carrier's policy is usually the primary source, and there may be more than one responsible company. With a lighter commercial vehicle, the available coverage can be much smaller — sometimes Arizona's minimum limits — and your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may become part of the recovery. Arizona insurers must offer that coverage. For students, a parent's policy from another state may still respond to an Arizona crash, and it's worth bringing every policy that might apply to the consultation.
The rules that carry over from any crash
Arizona generally allows two years to file most injury claims; camera footage around campus, Mill Avenue, and the freeway interchanges is often overwritten within weeks. Partial fault reduces a claim by percentage and does not end it. If a city, state, or university vehicle is involved, a notice of claim is due within 180 days. And for a heavy truck, the driver's electronic logs and supporting records are kept for six months — a clock that only helps if someone asks for the records while they exist.
Two questions for any firm
Ask whether the firm will include a parent or family member in the consultation and in case updates — many Tempe cases are managed from another state. And ask how the firm identifies the company and every policy behind a commercial vehicle in the first week. Communication is usually the part of a case people remember most.
Where we fit
Saguaro Injury Law serves Tempe from offices minutes away in Mesa, Chandler, and downtown Phoenix, and handles the vehicle-class and coverage questions above as part of every truck case. 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 Tempe covers the coverage questions this city raises in any crash. A free consultation is available any hour — in English or Spanish. (602) 217-0000.