Send a written spoliation letter immediately, ideally within days of the crash. Yes - some truck data can be lost, overwritten, or destroyed fast if nobody demands preservation, so the common advice to "wait for the insurance claim" is bad advice.

For people who want the short answer, that is it: do not assume the trucking company will save the evidence for you. After a Fort Worth wreck on I-35W, I-20, or Highway 287, key records may sit with different players - the driver, motor carrier, trailer owner, maintenance company, or broker - and each may point fingers at someone else.

Here is why. Under FMCSA rules, many hours-of-service records and ELD supporting documents must be kept for 6 months, but that is not the same thing as preserving every piece of crash evidence forever. Engine control module data, dash cam video, inward-facing camera footage, GPS pings, dispatch messages, and cell phone records can disappear much sooner through normal overwriting or device replacement.

Texas law gives most injury claims 2 years to file suit, but that deadline does not protect evidence. Waiting months after a Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, or Thanksgiving truck crash is how people lose the most valuable proof.

A proper preservation demand should specifically identify:

• ELD data
• ECM/black box downloads
• driver qualification file
• drug and alcohol testing records
• dispatch, GPS, and camera footage
• inspection, maintenance, and repair records

Do not assume the policy is only $750,000 either. Many interstate carriers carry $1 million or more, and hazardous cargo can require much higher minimums. Also, the broker is not automatically liable just because its name is on paperwork; often the real target is the authorized motor carrier listed with the USDOT/FMCSA records.