Cases involving tractor-trailers aren’t what they used to be—today, they often revolve around massive amounts of data quietly stored by the trucking company’s onboard systems. Whether the company is willing to turn over that data is another matter entirely. But when you know what to look for—and how to get it—telematics can provide critical evidence that proves not just what happened in a crash, but what the company knew before it occurred.
What Is Telematics Data in Trucking?
Telematics refers to the systems installed in modern trucks that record and transmit real-time data about both the vehicle and the driver. This includes GPS location, speed, hard braking, rapid acceleration, engine diagnostics, driver hours, and even in-cab video.
What Telematics Data Reveals
When properly preserved and examined, telematics data can reveal patterns of company negligence that traditional evidence simply can’t show.
- Chronic speeding: A telematics system might show that a driver routinely travels 70-80 mph in 55 mph zones. If this pattern continues over time and no corrective action is taken, the company’s inaction becomes central to your theory of liability. It’s not just about driver error—it’s about what the company allowed to continue.
- Hours-of-service violations: Federal regulations require drivers to take breaks to reduce fatigue. Drivers must stop for at least 30 minutes after 8 hours of driving and are limited to 11 hours per day. Telematics systems log every minute of driving time. If a company ignores clear signs that a driver is regularly exceeding these limits, they are not just violating regulations—they are gambling with public safety.
- Driver fatigue and distraction: Certain advanced platforms such as Netradyne’s Driver Monitoring System (DMS) use cameras and AI to detect drowsy or distracted driving. These systems track eye movements, blink patterns, and head nodding, triggering real-time alerts when signs of fatigue appear. If the company is aware of these alerts and fails to intervene, it may be liable for knowingly putting an impaired driver on the road.
Know the Systems in Use
Understanding the technology in use is essential. Modern telematics systems are sophisticated and often generate hundreds of data points in real time. For example:
- Many trucks on the road today utilize Platform Science, a robust platform that captures up to 293 distinct data points in real-time. These include driver inputs, vehicle diagnostics, route tracking, safety alerts, and compliance logs.
- Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) are required by federal law in all commercial trucks manufactured after 2017–2018. These devices log hours of service and location data by default, and their presence ensures that basic records should always be available.
- A 2023 Freightliner Cascadia, one of the most commonly used trucks in large fleets, is typically equipped with Detroit Assurance—a factory-installed safety system featuring forward-facing cameras, radar sensors, and automatic emergency braking. In many cases, this system also stores video footage and generates collision reconstruction reports.
- Some systems now integrate advanced DMS (Driver Monitoring Systems) with telematics, enabling video-verified detection of driver drowsiness or distraction. When combined with traditional safety data, these tools paint a comprehensive picture of a driver’s condition and the company’s oversight.
Steps to Securing Telematics Evidence in Your Trucking Case
To use telematics effectively, you must act early and with precision. Here’s what every litigator should do:
- Send a comprehensive and tailored spoliation letter immediately.
Send these letters to both the trucking company and the telematics provider (e.g., Samsara, Lytx, Geotab, Platform Science). Be specific: request the preservation of GPS data, speed logs, braking events, engine diagnostics, in-cab and forward-facing video, fatigue alerts, DMS data, and any collision reconstruction reports. Disable all auto-delete functions immediately. Some trucking companies use third-party storage providers that charge lower fees for data set to auto-delete after 30 days. That cost-cutting measure can destroy key evidence. Put the company on notice: preservation is mandatory, and all auto-deletion protocols must be turned off. - Determine what tech is on the truck. Start by identifying the truck’s systems by make, model, and year. Certain truck manufacturers use the same collision avoidance systems, which also record video before and after a crash event. Certain truck companies require their drivers to interact with specific in-cab software systems. If you don’t know where to start, call an expert.
- Issue precise, narrowly tailored discovery requests. Avoid generic phrases like “any and all telematics data.” Instead, specifically ask for fatigue alerts, trip replays, system-generated risk scores, ELD logs, dash cam footage, driver coaching reports, and DMS activity. The clearer your request, the easier it is to compel the information down the road.
Modern trucking companies are equipped with technology that monitors nearly every aspect of vehicle operation and driver behavior. That same technology now provides the most compelling—and most overlooked—evidence in serious trucking cases.
Discovery Tactics Must Evolve with Technology
Litigating these cases effectively means evolving with the technology. It means educating yourself on the systems in use, understanding what data is generated, and knowing when and how to fight for it. The attorneys who succeed in this space are the ones who recognize obtain and analyze trucking telematics the same way they would a police report.