Truck Accident Black Boxes: What They Reveal

You’ve probably heard about black boxes on airplanes. They’re an incredibly important piece of equipment that can reveal the causes of in-flight emergencies, runway fires, and especially crashes. News that officials have found the black box in a debris field of an air tragedy is reported far and wide, and everyone who has been following the news feels a sense of relief that once the data is analyzed, they’ll know what happened. It doesn’t take away from the tragedy, but the black box does so much to help us understand what occurred and why.

Did you know that semi-trucks have black boxes too? They don’t record air speed and cabin pressure, but they do provide critical information when the truck is involved in an accident. As a personal injury lawyer who specializes in trucking accidents, this information is critical to how I represent my clients.

Semi-truck black boxes are made up of 3 separate systems: Electric Control Modules, Electric Logging Devices, and Event Data Recorders.

Electric Control Modules (ECMs)

Electric Control Modules (ECMs) are the “computers” that operate modern engines. Your vehicle almost certainly has one too. They control the fuel injection timing, the anti-lock brake system, traction control, and other systems that can turn on your check engine light if there’s a problem. The sensors tied to the system record temperatures, emissions, tire pressures, oxygen ratios, engine speed, and more, all of which can be read in “fault” codes by a mechanic, telling them how the vehicle’s systems have been operating. This information is often critical in understanding how a wreck occurred, and this is the same type of information collected by ECMs in semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles.

Electric Logging Devices (ELDs)

Electric Logging Devices (ELDs) are systems exclusive to large commercial trucks. Rather than rely exclusively on handwritten logs and the driver’s word, these systems automatically record when the engine is running, when the vehicle is moving, and how far the truck travels. Basically, this system monitors the driver’s activity and is required in all semi-trucks by Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCS). The information it collects can be compared to their safety requirements as well as to the driver’s logs and statements about their driving at the time of the wreck.

Event Data Recorders (EDRs)

Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are most similar to the black boxes we envision from the news. This system records unusual events in a semi-truck like sudden braking, clutch application, sudden speed changes, air bag deployment, activation of the seatbelt(s), and any dramatic turning of the steering wheel. It also records the status of the cruise control, all of which provides critical information about what the vehicle and driver were doing in the seconds leading up to a crash and directly afterward.

These 3 systems are critically important to Truck Accident Attorneys like me because together they paint a vivid picture of the condition of the truck, how well rested the driver was, how far and fast the truck had traveled, and if the driver was meeting all the legal requirements at the time of the accident. Because I attend trucking seminars, I know how this information translates to actually driving a truck. These classes help me stay up-to-date on the latest policies, regulations, and laws, so I can best represent my clients.

The data also shows me what questions I should be asking. Did the truck driver brake suddenly while turning the wheel to the right? Did the truck suddenly decelerate, but without the application of the brakes? How much time, down to fractions of a second, were between braking and airbag deployment? Was the truck actually accelerating and the driver changing into a higher gear when the accident occurred?

However, all of these systems and the data they collect belong to the trucking company, so the data can be legally erased in most states, including Georgia, even if the vehicle was involved in a wreck. That’s why it’s so important to contact an experienced trucking attorney like me right away. I can make sure all this critical data for all 3 systems is preserved as evidence by legally forcing the trucking company to hand over the data. If you wait for the first offers from the insurance company, the data that could be the difference between winning and losing your case may already have been deleted.

Insurance companies want to pay the least amount of money to victims possible and keep the most profit for themselves. They just want victims to go away, and the trucking company wants to hide any wrongdoing on their part or on the part of their drivers. That data could also be the difference between a fair settlement for your injuries and having to settle for less than you deserve. So contact my office right away. I want to hear your story, and I want to help you.