“Black boxes” are often used in crashes to help investigators determine what happened. Data from these devices can help your case, and you should always seek to obtain it after a truck crash.
Trucks are required to have some kind of electronic hours log, which is sometimes referred to as a “black box.” However, many truck manufacturers and motor carriers use much more sophisticated data recorders that can track data about braking, speed changes, and other factors in a crash. If we can obtain this data, we can use it to prove what happened and show how that info makes the trucker or trucking company at fault for the crash.
Call The Queenan Law Firm’s Dallas truck accident lawyers for help today by dialing (817) 476-1797.
What is a Black Box?
You might have heard of a “black box” in reference to plane crashes, but black boxes are actually used on 18-wheelers and other large trucks all the time.
The Basics
A “black box” is also known as an “event data recorder” (EDR). Black boxes record all kinds of data from the truck that can be used to analyze how it was running and how safe it was prior to a crash. Faults and operational data (like engine temperature) are recorded on this device, as well as brake engagement, seatbelt status, and more.
EDRs are made out of strong material meant to survive a crash, even if the truck is destroyed.
People also sometimes refer to an electronic logging device (ELD) or “electronic on-board recorder” (EOBR) as a “black box,” but this device is merely used to log the trucker’s hours and automatically gather other driving time data.
Does Every Truck Have One?
Title 49, Part 563 of the Code of Federal Regulations has all of the rules and requirements for how EDR/black boxes must be designed, what data they must record, and how data retrieval should work. However, the Code does not actually require EDRs in every truck; these rules only govern how the boxes need to work if the truck has one.
However, ELDs are required in all commercial trucks under 49 CFR 395.8(a). This means they need automatic electronic hours of service logs, but not the other data.
Do Other Vehicles Have Them?
Sometimes, yes! Many auto manufacturers have started including EDRs in their vehicles for safety improvements down the road. Commercial vehicles other than trucks may be required to use ELDs, but most passenger cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks would not have them.
What Data is on a Truck’s Black Box?
As mentioned, there are two devices we could be discussing here:
ELD
The ELD contains the trucker’s hours of service log. This helps us find out whether the trucker was driving beyond their required hours limits or not.
The log is automatic, so it cannot be tampered with or falsified (in theory). This prevents truckers and trucking companies from lying about their hours when they are driving beyond limits.
EDR
The electronic data recorder contains much more extensive information about the vehicle and what was happening to it when the crash occurred, including the following data:
- Changes in speed
- Throttle
- Whether the brakes were engaged
- When the crash happened
- Whether the seat belt was hooked in or not
- Whether the air bags deployed
- How many crashes/events occurred.
They may also include these data points under some circumstances:
- Direction and distance traveled in each direction, including roll angles
- Engine RPM
- Whether antilock brakes kicked in
- Whether stability control was on/off or engaged
- What steering inputs were made
- Additional airbag data
- Seat position
- Occupant size (driver and passenger).
How to Use the Data in Your Case
As you might suspect, a lot of this information would be helpful in the hands of our Texas truck accident lawyers.
Truck Movements
From this data, we can tell a lot about the direction of travel, speed, whether the brakes were engaged, and how the vehicle moved. This can help us determine whether the trucker’s actions were reasonable or not, when put together with the other facts.
It can also show us the facts of what angle the truck hit at, how it moved, how it rolled over, etc., which might lead to assertions about the truck’s cargo and loading standards. E.g., fishtailing often leads to rollover when cargo is improperly loaded at the rear instead of the front of the trailer.
Driver Attention
While the data is circumstantial, it can help us understand whether the driver was paying attention and reacting properly. If there is no steering input or brake input in response to an emergency, we can tell that the driver might not have reacted properly.
This could show the driver was dozing/asleep, not paying attention, or too drunk to react in time. These assertions need additional data to prove them. The black box data is not enough to say the driver was drunk or anything like that, but combined with the odor of alcohol on their breath, the fact that the driver didn’t even try to brake can help show they were drunk.
Maintenance Issues
If the engine temp was hot or certain systems were not engaged properly, this could show the vehicle’s equipment was in violation of standards.
Hours of Service Violations
If the ELD shows the trucker was well past their driving limits, we can use that to help prove a violation.
FAQs for Truck Accident Black Box Data
When Does the Black Box Record?
Black boxes are not always on. They are set to start recording when an event happens, then they keep that data.
Why Isn’t Everything Just Decided by the Black Box Data?
In reality, the black box only contains some of the data you need to determine how the crash happened, like the vehicle’s speed and whether the brakes were hit. We can combine this with other data to make arguments – like showing the driver was distracted if they were making a phone call at the same time they failed to brake during a crash.
However, the data alone doesn’t tell us who was at fault.
Is Video Saved on the Black Box?
Many commercial truckers have onboard cameras that record the road and the driver. However, this data is not usually saved on the black box. It is, however, usually saved on a drive that is also resistant to damage in a crash, so that we can recover the data.
Is Black Box Data Transmitted?
Some black boxes transmit the data live so that it can be recorded elsewhere, just in case the black box is destroyed. This requires it to be set up to transmit, and that the truck was in range of the receiver.
Call Our Truck Accident Lawyers in Texas Today
Call The Queenan Law Firm’s Abilene, TX truck accident lawyers at (817) 476-1797 for help with your injury case.