What Is Considered a Commercial Vehicle in Texas?
If you were hurt in an accident involving a work vehicle, a Texas truck accident lawyer can explain which laws may apply to your case.
What is a commercial vehicle?
Commercial vehicles are vehicles used for work or business. A vehicle may also be considered commercial if it carries products, tools, equipment, passengers, or workers.
Some commercial vehicles are quite big, such as semi-trucks and tractor-trailers. Others are much smaller, like delivery vans, company pickup trucks, utility vehicles, and buses. A vehicle doesn’t have to be huge to be considered commercial. What matters is how the vehicle is being used.
Texas and federal laws also have specific rules about what counts as a commercial vehicle. For example, a vehicle’s weight or the type of commercial use in which it is engaged can influence whether or not commercial vehicle laws apply.
How are commercial vehicles defined by Texas law?
People often wonder what is considered a commercial vehicle under Texas law. Several things can help decide whether a vehicle is considered commercial.
Commercially classified vehicles may meet certain state or federal requirements: They may require a commercial driver’s license, be used for work, transporting goods or people, or carrying dangerous materials. Who owns or operates the vehicle can be another important factor, but how the vehicle is being used at the time of the crash is often more important than ownership alone.
An 18-wheeler making deliveries all over Texas is a commercial vehicle, plain and simple. But smaller vehicles may also qualify if they are being driven for business purposes at the time of the collision.
How does federal law define commercial vehicles?
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s safety regulations, vehicles are considered commercial when they meet certain standards.
In general, a vehicle could be subject to federal commercial vehicle regulations if it is used in interstate commerce and meets a covered weight, passenger, or hazardous materials threshold.
The rules are important because commercial drivers and trucking companies must follow tough safety rules. Rules can cover things like driver hours, inspections, maintenance, loading cargo, and training.
Why are there so many commercial vehicles on Texas roadways?
Every day, commercial vehicles fill the highways and streets of Texas. Some are easy to spot; others look just like your regular passenger car.
More common examples include delivery trucks, moving vans, construction vehicles, dump trucks, buses, garbage trucks, utility company trucks, cement mixers, tow trucks, and company vans. Rideshare vehicles and some food delivery vehicles may also involve business-related insurance liability issues, depending on the situation.
Texas is a shipping and transportation hub, so commercial vehicle traffic is extremely common all over the state. Serious accidents in the state may involve large trucks, especially on busy highways.
What makes commercial vehicle accidents complicated?
Commercial vehicle accidents tend to be more complex than the average car accident. Businesses often carry larger insurance policies, and multiple parties may be involved.
For example, responsibility may fall on:
- The driver
- The trucking company
- A vehicle owner
- A maintenance company
- A cargo loading company
- Another contractor who was involved in the trip
Commercial vehicle cases may also involve black box data, driver logs, maintenance records, GPS information, and company safety records. In some situations, companies move quickly after a crash in order to protect themselves from liability.
That is one reason many injured people choose to speak with a Texas truck accident lawyer soon after a serious accident.
Why is vehicle classification important?
Whether a vehicle qualifies as commercial can affect many parts of an injury claim. Different insurance rules may apply, and certain companies may be legally responsible for a driver’s actions while working.
Vehicles classified as regulated commercial motor vehicles may also face higher insurance minimums, more stringent state and federal safety regulations, different licensing rules, inspection standards, maintenance rules, and limits on how long drivers can remain on the road without rest.
In an injury case, that information might be relevant evidence if a company or driver had broken these rules before an accident.
What injuries are common in commercial vehicle accidents?
Accidents involving commercial vehicles often lead to serious injuries due to the size and weight of the vehicles. Even a small commercial truck can cause serious injury in an accident.
Injuries could include broken bones, head trauma, neck and back injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, or permanent disability. Medical bills, lost wages, emotional trauma, and chronic pain are just a few examples of the damages that can quickly add up.
Talk to a Texas truck accident lawyer
If you were recently injured in a road traffic accident involving a business vehicle, it is important to know whether or not it is considered “commercial.” If the vehicle involved in the crash was a delivery truck, company van, utility vehicle, or tractor-trailer, it could impact liability, insurance coverage, and the evidence in the case.
Commercial vehicle accidents are usually more complex than car accidents, and there may be several individuals or companies responsible for damages. There may also be business insurance policies, driver logs, maintenance records, or other important evidence that could influence the outcome of a claim.
If you’re involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, a Texas truck accident lawyer from Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney can help you understand what legal options you have. To schedule a confidential legal consultation, call us or complete the quick contact form on our website.
Pat Maloney, Jr. is a skilled San Antonio personal injury lawyer who has acted as lead counsel and co-counsel in many multi-million dollar verdicts throughout Texas. Pat Maloney represents people injured in car accidents, truck accidents, construction accidents and more. He is well known for his expertise in representing victims of serious personal injuries and has participated as a lecturer in the field of personal injury litigation. He has been named as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” Reference Book every year for the last five years.