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Washington Truck Accidents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (Title 49, Parts 350-399) govern all vehicles engaged in interstate traffic.

There are some situations where a tractor-trailer or other commercial motor vehicle is involved in only intrastate travel. For example, an appliance store in Seattle may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.

The Washington Department of Public Safety has adopted Title 49, Parts 382-384 and 390-399 of the federal regulations.

If you want to learn about the federal laws that apply to all over-the-road trucks, click here.

The following provisions are an overview of Washington laws that affect trucks operating only in Washington:

Driver Qualification:

Washington has adopted Part 391 with some exceptions. For example, intrastate drivers may be at least 18 years of age, instead of 21. Also, as of June 13, 2002, all breath alcohol technicians and medical review officers must report all people holding a Washington state commercial driver’s license who have a confirmed positive drug or alcohol test to the Washington Department of Licensing within three business days of the test.

Hours of Service:

The Washington State patrol has adopted federal regulations regarding hours of service with certain exceptions for logging, dump truck, and agricultural operations. For example, an intrastate driver who is hauling logs or is driving a dump truck, or a driver who is hauling agricultural products from the point of production on farms, isn’t permitted to drive more than 12 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty.

Parts and Accessories:

Washington has adopted Part 393 of the Federal Regulations in its entirety. A backup alert device or rear cross-view mirrors must be mounted on a truck with a cube-style, walk-in cargo box up to 18 feet long.

Crash reports are available from:

Washington State Patrol
Collision Records Section
P.O. Box 42628
Olympia, WA 98504-2628
(360) 570-5200

If you have been involved in a truck accident in Washington, click here for more information or to ask 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.

"If each time a rig is inspected it is done in an identical fashion the driver will be less likely to omit a key element of the process during a future inspection."

Learn more about State and Federal Trucking Laws

Washington Truck Accident News:

No Washington truck accident news available at this time.


Washington Cities:

  • Olympia
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  • Bellevue
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  • Seattle
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  • Everett
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  • Spokane
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  • Federal Way
  • Tacoma
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  • Kent
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  • Vancouver
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  • Yakima
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    Major Washington Interstates:

  • I-5
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  • I-405
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  • I-82
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  • I-705
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  • I-90
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