Are these dates deadlines for my case?

No. Every date here is a window in which the trucking company has to keep a record. How long a person has to bring a claim is a different question, it changes by state and by what happened, and nobody can answer it from a web page. Ask a licensed attorney about that, and do not take a number for it off any website, including this one.

What is the black box on a semi truck, and how long does the data last?

It is the engine control module. Depending on the make and configuration, it may hold speed, engine, throttle, braking or event data. There is no general federal retention period to turn into a date, though state law, contracts, preservation duties or other rules may still apply.

How long does a trucking company have to keep the driver's logs?

The federal rule runs for six months from the day the carrier receives the records. Because the crash date may be earlier than receipt, this tool shows the earliest possible closing date, not an exact or latest date, and places the citation beside it.

What is a preservation letter, and can I send one myself?

It is a written request asking the right companies and insurers to keep the truck, engine data, logs, video, and other records. A person can send a request, but the recipients, wording, scope, proof of delivery, and follow-up matter. A lawyer can tailor it to the crash. This tool does not create or send a notice.

How do I find out which company owns the truck that hit me?

Look for a US DOT number on the cab or in the crash report. Many regulated carriers have one, but not every truck will. Enter the number here to open the matching public federal record when one exists, including the carrier's name, address, fleet size, inspection history, reported crashes, and safety rating. You can also search SAFER, the government's free site.

The crash was months ago. Is it too late to do anything?

Put the date in and see. Some of these windows close in hours and some run for years, so a crash from last spring usually has windows shut and windows still open at the same time. What has closed is not the same question as whether anything can still be done, and that second question is for an attorney who reads what happened to you.

Truck evidence clock

The truck evidence clock uses a commercial-truck crash date to calculate exact or earliest possible dates where federal rules allow it. It explains records whose clocks depend on receipt, employment or execution dates, and clearly marks engine data and camera footage as having no general federal retention period. These are record and testing windows, not deadlines for your claim.

Open the clock What a truck crash leaves behind

A free tool. Not legal advice. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you.

What you walk away with

A date where one can be calculated
The rule, citation or stated federal gap
The company's public safety record

One date field, no account, nothing sent to us. Print it and keep it.

Vetted Cases

Truck evidence clock

These are federal record-retention windows for the trucking company, not deadlines for your claim. Ask a licensed attorney how much time you have.

The date of the crash

That is all this needs. The time is optional and only the two testing windows use it.

Date of the crash

Month, day, year.

Time, if you know it

Optional. With it, the two post crash testing windows get an exact answer instead of a maybe.

Nothing you type here is sent to us or put in the web address. The dates are worked out on your own device.

Optional: carry crash details into the case check

Details that can identify records

These answers do not change the schedule. They simply carry useful crash details into the case check.

Truck or vehicle type

What the records say about the driver

Road, exit, intersection or place

Company, employer or delivery name

Cargo or loading detail

Camera or electronic-record clue

Your crash date and draft details stay in this browser until you submit the case check. If you use the optional carrier lookup, only the US DOT number is sent to our FMCSA lookup service.

The schedule for your crash date

Put the crash date in the field above. The tool calculates a date where the federal rule allows one, explains earliest-only dates, and clearly marks records with no computable date or no general federal retention period.

Records of duty status and supporting documents
Electronic logging device records, and the backup copy
Post-crash alcohol test
Post-crash controlled substance test
Accident register
Driver qualification file
Engine control module data, the black box
Forward facing camera footage and telematics

The company that owns the truck

Optional. Enter the US DOT number from the truck door or crash report to see the carrier's public federal safety record.

Call or text (435) 383-8833. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you.

What a commercial truck crash leaves behind

The interactive version calculates exact or earliest possible dates where the rule permits it and explains why some rows have no computable date. The table below shows the applicable citation or plainly states when no general federal retention period exists.

These are the trucking company's own record keeping windows under federal rules. They are not deadlines for your claim. Nothing on this page can tell you how long you have to bring one, and no website can. That is for a licensed attorney who reads your own facts.

Records of duty status and supporting documents

Held by: The trucking company

The federal rule: 6 months from the day the company receives them

The 6 months run from the day the company receives the records, not from the crash, so the crash date produces only the earliest possible closing date. After that federal minimum ends, this rule by itself no longer requires retention. Other preservation duties, state rules, contracts or company policies may still apply.

49 CFR 395.8(k)(1)

Electronic logging device records, and the backup copy

Held by: The trucking company

The federal rule: 6 months for the backup copy, kept on a separate device

The six-month federal period applies to the backup copy of required ELD records. It does not establish a retention period for every other electronic file on the truck.

49 CFR 395.22(i)(1)

Post-crash alcohol test

Held by: The company has to try to test the driver

The federal rule: Not a retention rule. The company must attempt the test within 8 hours

Nothing has to end it early. It closes on its own, on the day of the crash or the morning after, whether anybody was watching or not.

49 CFR 382.303(d)(1)

Post-crash controlled substance test

Held by: The company has to try to test the driver

The federal rule: Not a retention rule. The company must attempt the test within 32 hours

Nothing has to end it early. It closes on its own within a day and a half of the crash.

49 CFR 382.303(d)(2)

Accident register

Held by: The trucking company

The federal rule: 3 years after the date of the crash

This is the one window that runs from the crash itself, so the date below is exact rather than the earliest possible.

49 CFR 390.15(b)

Driver qualification file

Held by: The trucking company

The federal rule: Core file: employment plus 3 years. Specified annual and medical records: 3 years after execution

Core records follow the driver through employment and three years after. Under 49 CFR 391.51(d), specified annual driving-record and medical records may be removed three years after execution. Neither date can be calculated from the crash date alone.

49 CFR 391.51(c)-(d)

Engine control module data, the black box

Held by: The company, its insurer, or whoever has the truck

The federal rule: No general federal retention period

There is no general federal retention period to turn into a date. Continued operation may overwrite some data. State law, contracts, preservation duties or other rules may still matter.

Forward facing camera footage and telematics

Held by: The company or the vendor that runs the cameras

The federal rule: No general federal retention period. Storage varies by system, policy and other obligations

There is no general federal retention period to turn into a date. Storage can vary by vendor, account settings, company policy, contract and other legal obligations.

What a retention window is, and what it is not

Federal rules tell a trucking company how long to keep certain records. That is the whole of what these dates are, and it is worth being precise about it, because the number in front of you looks like a deadline and is not one.

It is their duty, not your clockThe window says how long the company has to hold a file. It says nothing about what you have to do, or when.
The clocks do not all start at the crashOne runs from the crash itself. Two run from when the carrier receives records, so the tool shows only the earliest possible closing date. Driver-qualification records run on employment or execution dates, so the crash date alone cannot produce a date for them.
A federal minimum is not the whole storyThe listed federal period may end while state law, contracts, company policy, preservation duties or other rules still matter. This tool calculates only the federal period it cites.
Two records have no general federal retention periodEngine data and camera footage can be important, but no general federal retention period gives this tool a date to calculate. Vendor settings, policy, contracts and other legal duties may affect how long they remain available.

Three ways truck evidence can change or disappear

None of these needs anyone to act in bad faith. They are what happens to a working truck and a working fleet while a family is still in a hospital waiting room.

The truck goes back to work, or is sold

Repairs, reloading, continued use or sale can change physical evidence on the truck, including tire condition, brake adjustment, damage patterns and the load.

The engine data is read and not kept

Depending on the make and configuration, the engine module may hold speed, throttle, braking or event data. Continued use may overwrite some data, and there is no general federal retention period to convert into a date.

The two testing windows pass

After a crash covered by the rule, the carrier must attempt alcohol testing within eight hours and controlled-substance testing within thirty-two hours. The exact crash time determines when each window ends.

What a preservation letter is, and who sends it

It is a letter to the trucking company and its insurer that says: stop deleting. Hold the truck as it is, hold the engine data, hold the logs, hold the camera footage, hold the dispatch file. It names the things and it says not to touch them.

A person can send a preservation request, but getting the recipients, records, wording, proof of delivery, and follow-up right matters. A lawyer can tailor the notice to the crash and pursue records that are not produced. This tool does not create or send a notice. It shows which records may be on a clock so you can have a more concrete conversation with an attorney.

See the evidence checklist for your own side of it

Questions people ask about this tool

Are these dates deadlines for my case?: No. Every date here is a window in which the trucking company has to keep a record. How long a person has to bring a claim is a different question, it changes by state and by what happened, and nobody can answer it from a web page. Ask a licensed attorney about that, and do not take a number for it off any website, including this one.
What is the black box on a semi truck, and how long does the data last?: It is the engine control module. Depending on the make and configuration, it may hold speed, engine, throttle, braking or event data. There is no general federal retention period to turn into a date, though state law, contracts, preservation duties or other rules may still apply.
How long does a trucking company have to keep the driver's logs?: The federal rule runs for six months from the day the carrier receives the records. Because the crash date may be earlier than receipt, this tool shows the earliest possible closing date, not an exact or latest date, and places the citation beside it.
What is a preservation letter, and can I send one myself?: It is a written request asking the right companies and insurers to keep the truck, engine data, logs, video, and other records. A person can send a request, but the recipients, wording, scope, proof of delivery, and follow-up matter. A lawyer can tailor it to the crash. This tool does not create or send a notice.
How do I find out which company owns the truck that hit me?: Look for a US DOT number on the cab or in the crash report. Many regulated carriers have one, but not every truck will. Enter the number here to open the matching public federal record when one exists, including the carrier's name, address, fleet size, inspection history, reported crashes, and safety rating. You can also search SAFER, the government's free site.
The crash was months ago. Is it too late to do anything?: Put the date in and see. Some of these windows close in hours and some run for years, so a crash from last spring usually has windows shut and windows still open at the same time. What has closed is not the same question as whether anything can still be done, and that second question is for an attorney who reads what happened to you.

Starting a case check does not mean we represent you. This page is not legal advice, and none of the dates on it is a deadline for your claim. Depending on where you live and what happened, another law firm may need to assist or handle it. We will name that firm and ask your permission before sharing anything.

Call or text (435) 383-8833

When you want a person to look at it

The schedule is yours to keep and to print. Whenever you are ready, tell us what happened in your own words and a licensed attorney reads it. Free to start, and you can stop at any point.

What a truck crash leaves behind

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