Commercial Truck Accidents: Why These Cases Often Result in Higher Settlements

June 29, 2026

A large semi-truck with a chrome Peterbilt cab and silver trailer driving on a freeway at dusk, with mountains in the background.

A wrongful death claim cannot undo your loss, but it can hold the responsible party accountable and provide stability for the family left behind. In 2026, an important change in California law makes understanding these claims more time-sensitive than ever.

What These Claims Cover

Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60, a wrongful death claim belongs to the deceased’s eligible survivors – usually a spouse or partner and children. It covers funeral and burial costs, lost financial support, and the loss of love, companionship, care, and guidance.

Multiple Parties, Multiple Policies

A truck crash can involve the driver, the trucking company, the trailer owner, a maintenance contractor, the cargo loader, or a parts manufacturer. Each can mean another insurance policy and a deeper pool of available compensation.

Inside a semi-truck cab, an ELD device mounted on the dashboard displays hours of service data, next to a clipboard with a pre-trip inspection checklist, parked at a truck depot.

At a truck depot, a man in a safety vest watches a supervisor with a clipboard while a maintenance worker inspects the wheel of a blue semi-truck and another worker loads boxes into a trailer labeled 'Cargo Logistics'.

Federal Rules Create Evidence

Carriers are governed by the FMCSA. Hours-of-Service limits fight fatigue, and trucks hauling general freight across state lines must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage (up to $5 million for hazardous materials). Violations — over-hours driving, skipped inspections, falsified logs — become strong proof of negligence, but the data can be erased if you do not act fast.