LOUISVILLE, Kentucky—Truck drivers, fleet managers, and safety professionals alike work hard daily to prevent trucking accidents from happening on the road. But while prevention is ideal, understanding what to do after a crash is important.
Here at the Truckload Carriers Association’s 2025 Safety & Security Meeting, responding to trucking accidents is a hot topic, with drivers, insurance experts, and safety experts weighing in.
Today’s trucking accidents
During a panel on understanding trucking insurance rates, experts Eric Tompkins, director of risk management for Maverick Transportation; Robert Dunn, chief brokering officer, transportation and logistics practice for Aon; and Vikas Shah, EVP of marketing and analytics for DMC Insurance, outlined the top three types of trucking accidents they are currently seeing in the industry.
- Sideswiping
- Backing
- Rear-ending
According to Shah, sideswipes have a medium severity and are typically not as costly as other accidents; however, they can lead to more legal volatility due to disputes over liability facts. Backing accidents also have a lower severity. Rear-end accidents have a lower percentage; Shah attributed this lower rate to the industry’s increased focus on safety over the past few years. As Shah points out, this is good because rear-end accidents are one of the most expensive accidents.
See also: How to prepare for roadside English enforcement
What fleet managers should do when an accident occurs
During a panel on responding to trucking emergencies, experts Jill Maschmeier, director of safety for National Carriers; Raul Soria, director of safety for Hill Brothers Transportation; and Tracy Rushing, executive director of safety for R.E. Garrison Trucking, spoke on what to do and what not to do when a driver reports an accident.
First, it’s crucial to confirm the safety of the driver and anyone else involved. Initially, fleet and safety managers should prioritize staying composed and calming the driver down.
“Don’t forget that, at the end of the day, we’re dealing with people,” Rushing said. “And they have lives, and they don’t plan for these events to happen. So just be calm and patient with them.”
Other immediate actions that need to be taken include ensuring that emergency services have been contacted, securing the scene with triangles or flares, advising drivers not to apologize or admit any fault, and notifying other company leadership, attorneys, and insurance providers.
After these initial actions are taken, the evidence-collection phase begins. Managers should instruct drivers to take photos and videos of the scene, showing the weather, road conditions, environment, equipment damages, and more. In addition, drivers should get the contact information of both the other party and witnesses to the accident. According to Rushing, even if your driver has been trained on what to do during an accident, it’s important to remind them to take these steps; a driver will be flustered after an accident and could miss something.
On the fleet side, additional information should be gathered over time and retained for at least a year, including:
- ELD, dashcam, and telematics data
- A written statement from the driver (how this information is collected can vary)
- Alcohol and drug test, if required
- Police reports
- Medical reports/injury documentation
- Repair estimates/photos
- Insurance exchange form
Rushing emphasized the importance of knowing beforehand who to contact for this information (e.g., settlements group, payroll group) and how to obtain it, as well as ensuring that your staff is also aware of this process. As the fleet or safety manager, it’s also important to know how to pull the information that you can yourself. Networking can also be vital during an emergency.
“The most important thing that you’re going to have at the time of an emergency is your network,” Rushing said. “Knowing who to call for the glitches because it’s going to be chaos.”
