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Virginia Truck Accident Lawyer

Virginia truck accidents may be governed by Virginia or federal law, depending on whether the truck was involved in intrastate or interstate transport. Listed below are some Virginia 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 Virginia, we work with Karp, Frosh, Lapidus, Wigodsky & Norwind, P.A, a firm that handles tractor-trailer accidents throughout the state.

Ron Karp, the firm's managing partner, is the immediate past president of the Washington D.C. chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a nationwide organization of experienced (plaintiff and defense) trial lawyers committed to improving the ethical and technical standards of advocacy. Ron is a former president of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and former president of the George Washington Inns of Court. He is a recipient of the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award and was selected to appear in Best Lawyers in America (a publication that is based on interviews with other lawyers and lists less than 1% of the lawyers in the United States), and Ron was listed in the December 2004 edition of "Washingtonian Magazine" as one of the "Best Lawyers" in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Ron currently appears in the new Millennium Edition of Who's Who in American Law, and is listed in Who's Who in America. He is a frequent lecturer at trial lawyer seminars, and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. Ron has been lead counsel in a number of recent high profile cases which have been referenced in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, People Magazine and various network television programs, including his representation of former Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose in his successful First Amendment battle to publish his book, "Three Weeks in October." Last year Ron concluded a successful sexual harassment trial against a Fortune 500 Company. Most recently, Ron chaired a seminar at the American University Law School in Washington, D.C. on representing victims of terrorism.

Other members of the firm also have experience successfully handling catastrophic semi truck accidents.

E.J. Leizerman & Associates and Karp, Frosh, Lapidus, Wigodsky & Norwind, P.A., are familiar with exceptions to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (title 49, Parts 350-399) that affect trucks operating only in Virginia, 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 Reston may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.

The Virginia 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:

Virginia has adopted Part 391 of the Federal Regulations with some exceptions. For example, the minimum age requirement for a person to hold an intrastate commercial driver’s license is 18. A minimum age of 21 is the federal law. Also, all licenses issued, other than a Commercial Driver’s License, will be issued without classification (except for motorcycle or Class M).

Hours of Service:

Virginia has adopted Part 395 of the Federal Regulations with one notable difference. The maximum driving and on-duty requirements can’t apply to intrastate transporters of agricultural commodities or farm supplies if the transportation is limited to an area within a 100-air-mile radius from the source of the commodities or farm supplies when such transportation occurs during planting and harvesting seasons.

Inspection and Maintenance:

Virginia has adopted Part 396 of the Federal Regulations in it’s entirety with no differences.

Crash reports are available from:

Department of Motor Vehicles
Customer Records Division
P.O. Box 27412
Richmond, VA 23269
(866) 368-5463 (toll free)


If you have been involved in a truck accident in Virginia, contact one of our Virginia 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.

"About one in sixteen (6.1%) hazmat inspections results in an out of service determination."

Learn more about State and Federal Trucking Laws