There are numerous devices tracking the conduct of professionals operating semi-trucks. Many transportation companies install dashboard cameras, which may record the road ahead and the driver at the steering wheel. Every modern commercial truck has an electronic logging device (ELD) that validates when the vehicle is in motion to help enforce Hours of Service rules.
Additionally, semi-trucks generally contain black boxes, also known as electronic control modules (ECMs). The data contained on a semi-truck’s black box can provide information about what happened immediately before the crash. Those details can have a profound impact on the ability of injured parties to pursue compensation after a collision they assert was caused by a semi-truck.
What does a black box do?
An ECM is basically an integrated computer that helps monitor and control the engine of a commercial truck. The data it tracks includes the speed of the vehicle and even the conduct of the driver, such as when they accelerate or brake.
The main purpose of an ECM is to help the engine function effectively and efficiently, but the data it records can help clarify exactly what happened before and during a major collision. In cases where injured parties or surviving family members claim that a semi-truck driver ran a red light or was so distracted that they rear-ended a stopped vehicle, the data recorded by the semi-truck’s ECM can help validate or disprove those claims.
ECMs can also provide insight into how long the driver was on the road. If they drove for too long, that violation of Hours of Service rules could play a role in the compensation claim. The device could also show that a driver had cruise control engaged, which could validate claims of distracted driving.
Personal injury attorneys understand the importance of gathering objective evidence to prove who was at fault for a commercial truck crash. They can manage the legal process of obtaining black box data from trucking companies as part of the litigation discovery process.
Discussing the circumstances surrounding a semi-truck collision with a skilled legal team can help those affected by a crash understand their options. The data from a truck’s black box could ultimately help prove that the semi-truck caused the crash at issue.