Big Rigs, Big Data: How Trucking Telematics Affects a Crash
You’ve probably heard about driverless big rigs that use technology like radar, sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI). By the end of 2025, these futuristic “robotrucks” are expected to hit public highways in several southern states, traveling at speeds of up to 75 mph.
While the idea of sharing the road with autonomous trucks is unsettling for many drivers, experts predict they’ll ultimately make roads safer by removing the most common cause of trucking crashes: human error. Avoiding issues like fatigue, distraction, and aggressive driving is why more fleets are already using another type of trucking tech: telematics.
Trucking telematics provides a rich source of data and insights that can help companies optimize fleet management and driver performance. This same data can be used after an accident to show what happened inside the truck before impact. But telematics data is often overwritten or deleted within weeks. If you wait too long to speak with a truck accident attorney, the digital trail may have gone cold.
What Are Truck Telematics?
Telematics is a catch-all term for the technology that collects, transmits, and analyzes data from vehicles. In commercial trucking, it typically refers to systems installed in trucks that monitor things like location, speed, braking, engine performance, fuel use, and driver behavior in real time.
Think of it as a digital dashboard behind the dashboard. A telematics device installed in the vehicle collects and transmits data that is fed into a cloud platform that fleet managers can access remotely.
Modern telematics systems often combine GPS, onboard diagnostics, accelerometers, and even inward- and outward-facing cameras. Some use AI to flag unsafe or aggressive driving habits. Others integrate with fleet management software to help dispatchers route trucks more efficiently or schedule maintenance before breakdowns occur.
If concerning driver behavior is detected, such as speeding, rapid acceleration, hard braking, tailgating, sudden lane changes, or signs of fatigue, fleet managers can use this data to generate reporting that identifies risky driving behavior and helps inform additional training strategies.
Driver-facing cameras can also automatically detect prohibited behaviors such as smartphone use and send instant alerts to fleet managers. Forward-facing cameras can have similar triggers that recognize potentially dangerous road conditions and issue alerts.
Touted telematics benefits include fewer accidents, lower insurance costs, better fuel efficiency, improved asset tracking and protection, and stronger compliance with federal regulations like Hours of Service (HOS) rules.
Reducing accidents and accident-related costs is a major selling point. Telematics company Lytx notes that the average cost of a large truck crash is around $120,000 – $400,000, with fatal crashes approaching nearly $5 million on average.
Truck companies are also seeing rises in insurance premiums, and accident rates and severity are major factors in determining underwriting rates.
Drivers aren’t always the biggest fan of trucking telematics adoption because they don’t like being monitored, but according to the Department of Transportation, drivers who know they’re under surveillance tend to follow company and regulatory standards, leading to fewer accidents.
This finding is backed by industry data that shows telematics can reduce accidents—and accident claim costs—by 25 to 50% or more. Field-based data means that training can be tailored to each driver. A 2024 report found that nearly three-quarters of fleets saw fewer crashes and claims with the combination of telematics and training.
How Widespread are Trucking Telematics?
The trucking industry is rapidly adopting digital technologies and data-based management solutions. In 2017, fewer than half of transportation businesses used truck telematics in their fleets. That number rose to 82% in 2018 and 86% in 2019, reports Freight Waves.
But similar to other industries, digital adoption is not spread equally among small and large companies. Penske’s Telematics Use and Trends report found that 54% of large fleets, 51% of medium fleets, and 37% of small fleets use trucking telematics. An Expert Market survey found an even higher adoption rate, reporting that 93% of US fleets with 50+ vehicles utilize telematics products, compared to 83% of fleets overall.
Federal mandates such as the FMCSA’s 2019 Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule have effectively pushed even modest carriers to implement basic telematics systems. GPS technology is becoming an industry standard for logistics and operations businesses. A whitepaper from Automotive Fleet Magazine found that 87% of commercial fleets with 500+ vehicles use GPS tracking and 59% of small fleets (1 – 49 vehicles) use GPS tracking.
How Telematics Data Can Strengthen (and Complicate) Your Truck Accident Case
A recent study from ABI Research found that improving vehicle and driver safety is the second-most common reason cited for commercial truck fleets adopting telematics and other digital solutions. As part of their risk management, fleets also utilize telematics to investigate and reconstruct accidents.
It’s not just long-haul carriers using these digital tools. Regional, last-mile, and even delivery service fleets like Amazon, FedEx, and UPS rely heavily on telematics to keep tabs on performance and liability exposure.
In the aftermath of a trucking accident, telematics data can be one of the most powerful pieces of evidence available. It can confirm a driver’s speed, route, and hours behind the wheel. It can reveal whether they hit the brakes—or didn’t. And with camera-equipped systems, it may even show what the driver was doing in the moments before impact.
This kind of digital record can help answer key liability questions:
- Was the driver speeding, following too closely, making an improper lane change, or committing another common truck driver violation?
- Did they violate federal Hours of Service limits?
- Were they distracted by a phone or driving while fatigued?
But telematics data doesn’t last forever.
Certain data, such as ELD data, must be retained for at least six months, per federal regulations. Telematic systems, however, which are not federally-mandated, may automatically overwrite or purge older records after a certain period (e.g., 30 to 90 days).
Some systems allow for customization of data retention periods and have options to retain data for longer periods. Companies may also have their own internal policies regarding data retention
Even when the data still exists, accessing it may not be so simple. Trucking companies and their insurers don’t always hand it over voluntarily. They may argue the data is proprietary or try to limit how much is shared. Without swift legal intervention, the most damning evidence may vanish.
That’s why working with a law firm that understands how telematics systems operate—and how to legally compel the release of digital evidence—is critical. If an attorney isn’t brought in quickly enough to send a preservation notice (also known as a spoliation letter), critical evidence could be lost forever.
Depending on the case, telematics records might be backed up with other sources like:
- ELDs required by the FMCSA
- Dashcam video footage
- Maintenance records triggered by diagnostic alerts
- Dispatch logs that show timing and route deviations
When pieced together, this information can tell a compelling story. But it’s a story that fades fast if the evidence isn’t preserved promptly.
High-Tech Forensics, Old-Fashioned Client Service
Telematics has transformed how trucking is managed and how crashes are investigated. After a crash, the system used to improve safety can also become a key piece of evidence that captures what really happened in the moments leading up to a collision.
If you’ve been in an accident involving a commercial truck, there’s a strong chance that vehicle was equipped with some form of telematics, and that valuable data, from ELD logs to event-triggered video footage to event metadata, is available as evidence in your case.
Graham Law knows how to legally compel the release of digital evidence and follow the data to show how a crash occurred. We bring high-tech forensics together with the trusted, personal service our clients have relied on for decades.
To speak with someone from Your Personal Injury Firm, schedule your free case review.