What Should I Do If the Trucking Company or Its Insurer Contacts Me?

If the trucking company or its insurer contacts me after a truck crash, my first steps should be to identify the caller, understand the request, and preserve the communication.

Quick Answer

Key Takeaways

• A trucking-company representative is not necessarily your insurance representative.
• Separate requests for information from requests for signatures or vehicle access.
• Keep written records of conversations, offers, and proposed deadlines.
• If you have an attorney, promptly forward the trucking company’s communications and requests. If you need legal guidance, The Oakes Firm can review the contact and help address the next steps.

Find Out Who Is Calling and Why

Ask for the person’s name, employer, contact information, claim number, and the company they represent. The caller might work for the motor carrier, an insurer, or an outside claims administrator. Ask whether the conversation is being recorded. Verify unfamiliar contacts through independently obtained company information before sharing sensitive records.

You can say: “Please send your name, the company you represent, the claim number, and your request in writing so I can review it.”

That gives you a record without requiring you to guess about the crash, your injuries, or someone else’s role.

Separate the Different Requests

A request to confirm where your vehicle is stored is different from permission to repair, dismantle, move, or dispose of it. Ask what an inspection would involve, who would attend, and whether any testing could alter the vehicle. Coordinate promptly with your attorney and insurer while monitoring storage costs.

A medical authorization, recorded statement, or settlement release also deserves separate attention. Do not assume a document concerns only vehicle damage because that was the subject of the phone call.

For the specific statement question, read The Insurance Company Wants a Recorded Statement. Do I Have to Give One?. This article focuses on organizing the trucking company’s contact and identifying what decision you are being asked to make.

Keep an Accurate Contact Record

Save emails, text messages, voicemails, letters, and attachments. After a conversation, write down the date, caller, request, and any deadline mentioned. Keep the notes factual.

If you answer questions, be truthful. Say when you do not know or cannot remember; do not guess about speed, distance, fault, or a medical prognosis.

Do not ignore correspondence from your own insurer or assume that every request is optional. Policy obligations and formal legal requests require separate consideration.

What To Do Next

1. Identify and verify the caller and the business represented.
2. Request the proposal and any stated deadline in writing.
3. Save the complete communication and related documents.
4. Obtain guidance before signing, settling, or approving changes to possible vehicle evidence.

Related PhillyLegalConnect Resources

• Philadelphia Injury Playbook
• PhillyLegalConnect Quick Answer Series
• Philadelphia Neighborhood Safety Guide
• South Jersey & Jersey Shore Guide
• What To Do After an Accident in Philadelphia