Missouri Truck Accident Laws Every Driver Should Know
A truck accident in Missouri can leave you facing medical expenses, lost income, and questions about who is…
A truck accident in Missouri can leave you facing medical expenses, lost income, and questions about who is legally responsible. Understanding Missouri truck accident laws can help you recognize important deadlines, identify evidence that may support a claim, and understand your options.
When I evaluate a truck accident claim, I look beyond the immediate collision. Missouri law establishes the responsibilities drivers must follow, while federal regulations govern many aspects of commercial trucking, including driver hours, recordkeeping, and vehicle safety.
These rules affect how fault is determined, who may be held responsible, and how long an injured person has to file a lawsuit.
Here are seven important Missouri truck accident laws and legal principles to understand after a crash.
1. Missouri Drivers Must Exercise the Highest Degree of Care
What duty of care must Missouri truck drivers follow? Missouri law requires drivers to exercise the highest degree of care when operating a motor vehicle. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 304.012, drivers must operate carefully and prudently without endangering others. This duty applies to commercial truck drivers and passenger vehicle drivers.
What Do These Laws Require?
- Exercise the highest degree of care: Drivers must operate their vehicles with the care Missouri law requires.
- Drive carefully and prudently: Speeding, distracted driving, and unsafe lane changes may be relevant when investigating whether a driver acted negligently.
- Maintain the required following distance: Covered trucks and buses must follow the 300-foot rule where § 304.044 applies, subject to the statutory exception.
- Assess the circumstances of the crash: A traffic violation may be evidence in a claim, but it does not automatically establish liability. Investigators must consider the evidence and how the conduct contributed to the collision.
If you were injured in a collision involving a commercial vehicle, learn more about how I handle truck accident cases in St. Louis and the legal options that may be available to you.
2. Federal Trucking Regulations Can Affect Your Accident Claim
Federal trucking regulations can affect a truck accident claim because many commercial trucks must follow safety rules set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These rules cover driver hours, vehicle inspections, maintenance, and recordkeeping.
If a truck accident occurs, investigators may review whether the driver and trucking company followed the rules that apply to their operation.
- Driver working hours: Hours-of-service rules limit driving time and require rest periods to help reduce fatigue.
- Vehicle inspections and maintenance: Trucking companies and drivers must follow applicable safety requirements to keep vehicles in safe operating condition.
- Driver and carrier records: Driving logs, inspection reports, and other records can help investigators understand what happened before a crash.
Hours-of-service rules
Federal hours-of-service regulations limit how long many commercial truck drivers carrying property can drive. Generally, these drivers must:
- Take at least 10 consecutive hours off duty before starting a new driving period.
- Drive no more than 11 hours after the required off-duty period.
- Stop driving after the applicable 14-consecutive-hour work window.
- Take a qualifying 30-minute break after eight cumulative hours of driving without such an interruption.
Additionally, Federal rules also set weekly driving limits, with exceptions depending on the type of operation. If investigators suspect driver fatigue, driving logs and work schedules may help them determine whether hours-of-service violations contributed to the crash.
Trucking records and electronic data
Trucking records can help investigators understand what happened before a collision. Depending on the circumstances, useful evidence may include:
- Electronic logging device (ELD) data and driver logs
- Vehicle inspection and maintenance records
- GPS and route data
- Available dashcam or other camera footage
Federal regulations generally require motor carriers to retain duty-status records and supporting documents for at least six months.
Other evidence may have different retention periods, so identifying relevant records early can help prevent important information from becoming unavailable.
3. More Than One Party May Be Responsible for a Truck Accident
When I evaluate a truck accident claim, I consider whether factors beyond the driver’s actions may have contributed to the crash. Depending on the evidence, responsibility may involve the trucking company, a maintenance provider, a cargo loading company, or a vehicle manufacturer.
Potentially responsible parties may include:
- The truck driver: For conduct such as distracted driving, speeding, or driving while fatigued.
- The trucking company: If its negligent hiring, supervision, training, or safety practices contributed to the accident.
- A maintenance provider: If negligent inspections or repairs contributed to a mechanical failure.
- A cargo loading company: If improperly loaded or secured freight contributed to the collision.
- A vehicle or component manufacturer: If a defective component contributed to the crash.
4. Missouri's Comparative Fault Law May Allow You to Recover Compensation
Missouri follows a pure comparative fault system, which allows injured people to recover damages even if they were partly responsible for an accident. Courts reduce compensation based on your percentage of fault.
The Missouri Supreme Court adopted this approach in Gustafson v. Benda.
For example, if your damages total $100,000 and you are found 20% at fault, the court would reduce your compensation by $20,000, leaving $80,000 before any other applicable legal considerations.
In a truck accident claim, fault may depend on vehicle speed, following distance, road conditions, driver conduct, and other evidence surrounding the collision. Being told you were partly at fault doesn’t automatically mean you have no claim. The evidence and applicable Missouri law determine how responsibility affects your potential recovery.
5. Missouri Has Deadlines for Filing a Truck Accident Lawsuit
Missouri law sets deadlines for filing personal injury lawsuits. Missing the deadline can prevent an injured person from pursuing compensation in court.
Under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 516.120, many personal injury actions are subject to a five-year statute of limitations. However, the deadline depends on the type of claim and the circumstances involved.
For example, wrongful death actions generally must be filed within three years under Section 537.100. Claims involving certain government entities and other special circumstances may be subject to different requirements.
A truck accident investigation can involve driver logs, maintenance records, company documents, and other evidence that takes time to obtain.
I encourage injured people to address the filing deadline early so they have time to assess the claim, identify relevant evidence, and determine what legal action may be necessary.
6. Reporting a Truck Accident in Missouri
After a truck accident, knowing when to notify the police and what information to collect can help document the collision.
Under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 300.110, drivers involved in accidents within a city must notify the police department as soon as reasonably possible when someone is injured or killed, or apparent property damage reaches $500 or more to one person. Because this provision is part of Missouri’s Model Traffic Ordinance, its application depends on the local ordinance in effect.
What Should You Document After a Truck Accident?
If it is safe to do so, collect details that help establish how the collision occurred:
- Photograph the scene: Capture vehicle positions, damage, road conditions, traffic signs, and visible injuries.
- Record witness details: Collect names and contact information from people who saw the collision.
- Exchange information: Obtain the other driver’s contact, license, vehicle, and insurance details.
- Keep accident-related documents: Save the police report, medical records, repair estimates, and receipts for crash-related expenses.
These details can help establish the circumstances of the collision and support your account of what happened.
7. Insurance Coverage and Compensation Depend on the Circumstances
After a truck accident, available insurance coverage depends on who caused the crash and which policies apply. The trucking company’s insurance may cover the claim, but other policies may also be relevant if another party contributed to the accident.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Truck Accident?
Depending on the injury, financial losses, and applicable law, compensation may include:
- Medical expenses: Hospital bills, treatment, rehabilitation, and future medical care.
- Lost income: Wages missed because of the injury and reduced earning capacity if the injury affects your ability to work.
- Property damage: Costs to repair or replace your damaged vehicle.
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical pain and how the injury affects your daily life.
The amount you may recover depends on the evidence supporting your losses and the circumstances of your claim.
Before accepting a settlement, check whether it accounts for your medical expenses, lost income, and any future treatment or work limitations supported by the evidence.
Once you accept a settlement and sign a release, you may not be able to seek additional compensation for the same claim, even if your expenses increase later.
What Should You Do After a Truck Accident in Missouri?
If you’ve been in a truck accident in St. Louis or elsewhere in Missouri, the decisions you make in the hours and days that follow can also affect how insurers evaluate your claim.
- Get medical attention. Call emergency services when needed and seek medical evaluation for injuries.
- Be accurate when speaking with insurers. Share the facts you know, but avoid guessing about the cause of the crash or making assumptions about the extent of your injuries.
- Be cautious about settlement offers. Before agreeing to a settlement, understand what losses it covers and whether it accounts for ongoing treatment or other future expenses.
- Check your legal deadlines. The time limit for filing a claim depends on the circumstances, so don’t assume you have a particular amount of time without confirming which deadline applies.
These steps help you focus on your health, avoid making premature decisions about your claim, and understand the deadlines that may affect your options.
Understand Your Rights After a Missouri Truck Accident
Missouri truck accident claims can involve several legal questions, from who caused the collision to which insurance policies may cover the resulting injuries. Federal trucking regulations, Missouri’s comparative fault rules, and lawsuit filing deadlines can also affect a person’s ability to pursue compensation.
When I evaluate a truck accident claim, I look at how the collision occurred, whether the available evidence points to negligence by the driver or another party, and how the injuries have affected the person’s life.
These details matter because responsibility and potential compensation depend on the specific facts of the case.
Understanding your rights after a truck accident means looking beyond the immediate damage and considering the legal and financial consequences that may follow. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident in St. Louis or elsewhere in Missouri, knowing which laws apply to your situation can help you assess your options and decide how to proceed.
FAQs
Truck accident claims involve complex federal safety regulations, multiple corporate entities, higher insurance policy limits, and specialized physical evidence like Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) and black box data.
Under federal rules, trucking companies are only required to retain driver logbooks and ELD data for six months unless a formal spoliation letter is sent demanding that the evidence be preserved for a pending legal claim.
Yes. Missouri follows a pure comparative fault rule. You can recover compensation even if you contributed to the crash, but your payout will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
In most cases, no. Under federal and Missouri state law, personal injury settlements are not taxable as long as they stem from a physical injury.
If you were in more than one rideshare crash, each accident is handled as a completely separate claim with its own insurance coverage and police report.
