An oilfield truck’s trip can begin long before it reaches the highway. The load was assembled somewhere. Someone assigned the route. Someone recorded the driver’s time. Those decisions may matter after a fatal or catastrophic crash.
VB Attorneys represents seriously injured people and families after oilfield trucking crashes in the Permian Basin and West Texas. The investigation follows the vehicle, the load, and the work schedule, with attention to the particular operation rather than assumptions about every truck serving a wellsite.
The Midland and Odessa area connects field activity with I-20 and a network of roads serving equipment yards and worksites. A collision on that network needs to be investigated through the actual trip, including where the truck loaded and what it was doing at the time.
Determine what the load required
A water haul, sand haul, and movement of large drilling equipment create different questions. The relevant issues may include weight, dimensions, securement, stability, route, and the driver’s ability to see and maneuver.
A permit does not answer every one of those questions. Counsel needs the permit that applied to the actual load, together with loading records and any route or escort requirements. A photograph of the truck can help identify the configuration, but the analysis should be tied to the rules governing that movement.
In the firm’s oilfield trucking case involving an overloaded rig on U.S. 59, Brian Beckcom and Vuk Vujasinovic examined the load and the records surrounding the trip. The published account describes equipment extending beyond the permitted load and disputed driver logs. That case occurred outside the Permian Basin. It illustrates why an oilfield trucking investigation should examine preparation for the trip as well as the collision itself.
An oilfield label is not a blanket hours exemption
Federal hours-of-service rules include provisions for certain oilfield operations. The particular exception matters. It is not enough to say the truck was hauling something for an oil company.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration examines whether the vehicle is specially constructed for oil and gas wellsites and whether operating its complex equipment requires extensive training beyond driving. Its January 2025 clarification says even a vehicle transporting frack sand may qualify if it meets those criteria. Neither the cargo label nor an older blanket statement excluding sand trucks is enough. The actual equipment, training, and operation must be checked against the applicable provision.
This distinction affects how a lawyer reads the driver’s records. A period marked as waiting may need to be compared with what the driver was actually doing. Dispatch messages, delivery tickets, location information, and logs can help establish the sequence.
An apparent inconsistency should be investigated. It should not be labeled falsification until the evidence supports that conclusion. The purpose is to understand the work and determine whether the rules were followed, then assess whether any violation contributed to the crash.
Separate a highway collision from a site operation
An injury while a truck is being loaded or positioned at a wellsite may involve more than driving conduct. The site layout, equipment movement, unloading procedure, and instructions given by another contractor may matter.
Identify the task at the moment of injury. Was the truck traveling, backing, unloading, or serving as a platform for another operation? Who controlled that step? The motor carrier, loader, site contractor, and property owner do not necessarily have the same duties.
For injuries arising principally from field operations, our oilfield injury practice addresses those additional questions. The investigation should follow the facts across practice categories when the incident requires it.
Preserve more than the driver’s log
A useful trucking record can include vehicle event data, camera footage, dispatch communications, maintenance history, load tickets, permits, and the records of the companies that handled the freight. Their relevance depends on the disputed issue.
For a mechanical problem, federal inspection and maintenance duties may matter alongside records for the actual component. For an unstable load, the vehicle’s configuration and loading sequence may matter more than a general maintenance history. The scope of the investigation should be justified by the facts.
Families can help by preserving the information already in their possession, including photographs, the report number, and communications received after the crash. Keep original files and distinguish personal observations from information supplied by others. Formal access to a truck or company records can be addressed by counsel.
Explain the losses a family will live with
Our focus is catastrophic injury and wrongful death. For a surviving person, the medical evidence should be connected to future care, work, and daily life. For a family after a death, the legal claims and the people entitled to bring them need careful attention.
An early estimate based only on the severity of the collision can miss both strengths and weaknesses in the case. The evidence of responsibility and the evidence of losses must be developed together. A sound decision about a Settlement depends on both.
Tell us what happened
Brian Beckcom and Vuk Vujasinovic are both Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Their documented work includes serious commercial trucking and industrial cases.
Our office is in Houston. Call (877) 724-7800 for a free first conversation about a serious Permian Basin or West Texas oilfield truck crash. Tell us what happened. We will explain whether we can help and what the case needs to establish.