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California Truck Accident Lawyer

California truck accidents may be governed by California or federal law, depending on whether the truck was involved in intrastate or interstate transport. Listed below are some California laws that affect truck accidents. For a more comprehensive list of truck laws, click here.


Large trucking companies and their insurance companies work quickly to protect themselves when one of their trucks is involved in an accident, often sending investigators directly to the scene.

To protect your rights, it’s imperative to have knowledgeable legal council to begin investigating immediately, preserve evidence, and help you get the best possible result in pursuing your claim against the trucking company. E.J. Leizerman and Associates is a Law Firm that accepts semi truck accident cases across the country. In California, we work with the R. Rex Parris Law Firm, a firm that handles tractor-trailer accidents throughout the state.

Other members of the firm also have experience successfully handling catastrophic semi truck accidents.
E.J. Leizerman & Associates and the Law Firm are familiar with exceptions to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (title 49, Parts 350-399) that affect trucks operating only in California, as there are some situations where a tractor-trailer or other commercial motor vehicles are involved in only intrastate travel. For example, an appliance store in Los Angeles may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.
The California Department of Public Safety has adopted Title 49, Parts 382-384 and 390-399 of the federal regulations with a few notable provisions, including:

Driver Qualification:

In order to be employed as a driver for compensation in California, one must be at least 18 years old, and 21 years old to haul hazardous materials or to be engaged in interstate commerce.

Hours of Service:

Interstate drivers as well as drivers transporting hazardous wastes or hazardous substances are subject to the same regulations as found in Title 49, Part 395 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Drivers not required to follow the Federal Regulations are not permitted to drive more than 12 hours, or drive after having been working for 15 hours, following 8 hours of being off duty.


If you have been involved in a truck accident in California, contact one of our California lawyers or attorneys to help you with more information or to answer any questions you have.

In the event this material is not deemed to fully comply with the provisions of the rules of professional conduct of any particular state, this firm will not accept clients or representation that derive from the distribution of this material within those jurisdictions.

"A compilation of inspection data reveals an out of service vehicle in nearly one out of four inspections, or 23.7%!"

Learn more about State and Federal Trucking Laws