This is the third blog in my series of advice for truck attorneys. It’s part of two upcoming legal seminars on trucking litigation tips for lawyers this this fall.
There is a helpful website called https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ that many lawyers know nothing about. But attorneys litigating truck accident cases can use this website to find important information to help them better represent their clients.
Safersys.org is a website maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Using this website, truck attorneys can obtain information about trucking companies.
A “Carrier Snapshot” search includes the truck company’s:
- Legal name,
- Address,
- Phone number,
- USDOT number,
- Numbers of power units and drivers,
- Link to SMS (Safety Measurement System) data,
- Link to a report on the first layer of insurance coverage,
- Link to a blanket agent for service of process.
Litigation Tip: If the truck company is located in the state where you are suing them, they may appoint their own agent for service of process, and service on the blanket company agent may not be valid.
– Steven Gursten is an attorney and head of Michigan Auto Law. He is past president of the American Association for Justice Truck Accident Litigation Group, and was named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law for his work to promote national truck safety.
Related information to protect yourself:
Help for attorneys handling truck accident cases
Michigan Auto Law exclusively handles car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident cases throughout the entire state of Michigan. We have offices in Farmington Hills, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Detroit. Call (248) 353-7575 to speak with one of our attorneys today.
