Houston 18-Wheeler & Commercial Truck Attorneys · 30+ Years in Texas

Houston Truck Accident Lawyers

Hit by an 18-wheeler on I-10, I-45, the 610 Loop, Beltway 8, or a Port Houston container truck on the east-side industrial corridor? Patterson Law Group tries cases against the largest motor carriers in the country. We serve Houston from our Fort Worth office.

★ 5.0 on 483+ Google reviews $100 Million+ recovered Super Lawyers® · AVVO 10.0

(817) 784-2000 Free Consultation

Free Case Consultation

No Obligation — No Cost Unless We Win

How we serve Houston clients

Patterson Law Group does not maintain a brick-and-mortar office in Houston. We serve Houston-area clients from our Fort Worth and San Antonio offices. We know the FMCSR — electronic logging device data preservation, post-crash drug-and-alcohol testing under 49 CFR §382.303, the driver qualification file, MCS-90 endorsement requirements under 49 CFR §387.9, and the corporate-deposition moves that expose a motor carrier's safety culture. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Houston for depositions, mediations, hearings, and trial.

What to do after a Houston 18-wheeler crash

Truck crashes destroy evidence faster than passenger-car crashes. The first 48 hours matter more than almost any other point in the case:

Get medical care immediately. Houston has Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (Level I, the busiest in Texas), Ben Taub Hospital (Level I, Harris Health), Memorial Hermann The Woodlands (Level I), Memorial Hermann Southwest, HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, and Memorial Hermann Northeast.
Report the crash and capture the truck's identifiers. Houston PD handles inside-city crashes; DPS handles interstates and state highways. Photograph the truck's USDOT number, MC number, trailer plate, company logos, and any visible damage. Those numbers tie the truck back to the motor carrier and its insurance.
Photograph everything. The vehicles, the scene, debris pattern, skid marks, traffic controls, road conditions, and any visible injuries.
Get witness contact info. Independent witnesses can decide a case. Get a name and phone number before they leave the scene.
Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer. Their adjusters call within hours and they are trained to get statements that limit your recovery. Refer them to us.
Call a lawyer before you sign anything. We send preservation-of-evidence letters within hours so ECM data, ELD logs, dashcam, and driver qualification files are locked down.

Texas and federal trucking law — what Houston clients should know

Two-year statute of limitations

§16.003 sets a two-year SOL from the date of the crash. Federal claims and government-defendant claims may have shorter notice deadlines.

Modified comparative fault (§33.001)

You can recover damages as long as you are 50% or less at fault. Trucking-defense lawyers push fault hard onto the passenger-vehicle driver — we counter with reconstruction and ECM data.

Paid or incurred medicals (§41.0105)

Limits medical-damages recovery to amounts paid or incurred. With Level I trauma stays at Memorial Hermann TMC or Ben Taub easily running into six figures, careful documentation matters.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

Interstate and many intrastate commercial trucks must comply with 49 CFR Parts 350–399. A clear FMCSR violation can be negligence per se in Texas.

MCS-90 and federal minimum coverage (§387.9)

$750,000 for general freight, $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 for hazmat. Houston Ship Channel hazmat carriers and Port Houston container fleet operators frequently carry far more in primary and excess.

Negligent hiring / retention / entrustment

A motor carrier can be directly liable under Texas common law for hiring an unqualified driver, retaining a driver after a known violation, or entrusting a commercial vehicle. Negligent-onboarding claims open the carrier's training and safety-management files.

Exemplary damages (§41.003)

Available on clear and convincing evidence of gross negligence. Falsified logs, knowingly retaining an unsafe driver, repeated FMCSR violations, and DWI support gross-negligence pleadings. §41.008 caps with statutory exceptions.

Hospital liens

Memorial Hermann and HCA hospital liens are routine in Houston cases. Federal payers (Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE) have subrogation rights. We negotiate liens down.

Houston's commercial-trucking corridors

Houston is one of the largest freight markets in North America — Port Houston, the Ship Channel refinery complex, the Energy Corridor, and the intercontinental rail-and-truck convergence at the BNSF and UP yards all generate massive commercial-truck volume. The corridors below produce most of our Houston truck case files:

Port of Houston and Ship Channel access roads. Container drayage between Bayport, Barbours Cut, and surrounding industrial parks. Heavy hazmat from the refinery complex.
I-10 (Katy Freeway). Energy Corridor commercial truck volume. Long-haul freight crossing east-west.
I-45 (Gulf Freeway / North Freeway). Houston-Galveston port-to-refinery freight on the south side; Houston-Dallas long-haul on the north side.
I-69 / US-59 (Eastex / Southwest Freeway). Heavy commercial freight to East Texas, Louisiana, and the Rio Grande Valley.
Beltway 8 / Sam Houston Tollway. 88-mile commercial-truck artery around the metro.
SH-225 (La Porte Freeway). The Ship Channel industrial corridor. Hazmat refinery support, container haul.
SH-146. Port-area north-south spine. Heavy commercial volume in Baytown and La Porte.
FM-1960 and FM-2920. Surface arterials with heavy commercial-truck volume serving suburban distribution centers.

Where Houston truck accident cases are heard

Harris County

Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline Street, Houston. The 11th, 55th, 61st, 80th, 113th, 125th, 127th, 129th, 133rd, 151st, 152nd, 157th, 164th, 165th, 189th, 190th, 215th, 234th, 269th, 270th, 280th, 281st, and 295th District Courts handle the civil docket.

Surrounding counties

Fort Bend County cases go to the Fort Bend County Justice Center, Richmond. Montgomery County cases (The Woodlands, Conroe) go to the Montgomery County Courthouse, Conroe. Galveston County cases go to the Galveston County Courthouse. Brazoria County cases go to the Brazoria County Courthouse in Angleton.

Federal court (S.D. Tex.)

Trucking defendants frequently remove cases to federal court. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, sits at 515 Rusk Street.

Other Houston injury cases we handle

Common questions from Houston truck accident clients

What is the deadline to file a Houston truck accident lawsuit?

Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003 sets a two-year statute of limitations for most personal injury and wrongful death claims, including 18-wheeler cases. Claims involving the City of Houston, Harris County, Port Houston, or other governmental defendants can trigger Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines as short as six months. Federal claims may have their own deadlines. Truck-crash evidence (black box, ELD logs, driver logs) disappears within days.

Why are commercial truck cases different from regular car accident cases?

Three reasons. First, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR Parts 350–399, the FMCSR) impose detailed duties on motor carriers and drivers — hours-of-service, drug-and-alcohol testing, maintenance, driver qualification files. A violation can be negligence per se in Texas. Second, available insurance is much larger — federal minimum under 49 CFR §387.9 is $750,000 for general freight, $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 for hazmat. Houston-area carriers serving Port Houston, the Ship Channel refineries, and Energy Corridor freight commonly carry tens of millions in primary and excess. Third, liability rarely stops at the driver — the motor carrier, broker, shipper, and loader can each be defendants.

What evidence has to be preserved after a Houston 18-wheeler crash?

Electronic logging device (ELD) data, the engine control module (black box), driver qualification files, drug-and-alcohol test records, post-crash testing under 49 CFR §382.303, maintenance and inspection records, dashcam footage, dispatch communications, bills of lading, and the post-accident report under 49 CFR §390.15. Houston Port Authority and Ship Channel carrier records also have specific destruction windows. We send preservation-of-evidence letters within hours of being retained.

What about Port of Houston and Ship Channel truck crashes specifically?

Port and Ship Channel drayage is its own category. Container trucks moving cargo between the Bayport and Barbours Cut terminals, refinery support trucks on the east-side industrial corridor, and hazmat carriers serving the ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron Phillips, and LyondellBasell complexes are subject to FMCSR plus additional Port Houston operating rules. Hazmat cargo crashes can also implicate federal CERCLA / RCRA liability for any environmental release. We coordinate the corporate, regulatory, and tort claims together.

Who else can be liable besides the truck driver?

Under Texas common law, the motor carrier can be liable for negligent hiring, retention, supervision, or entrustment. A freight broker can be liable for selecting an unsafe carrier. A shipper can be liable for negligent loading. A maintenance contractor can be liable for defective repairs. For Port Houston container freight, the leasing company, the stevedore, and the international shipping line may also be defendants. Every defendant adds an insurance policy.

Where will my Houston truck case be filed?

Most Harris County civil cases are heard at the Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline Street, Houston. The 11th, 55th, 61st, 80th, 113th, 125th, 127th, 129th, 133rd, 151st, 152nd, 157th, 164th, 165th, 189th, 190th, 215th, 234th, 269th, 270th, 280th, 281st, and 295th District Courts handle the civil docket. Trucking defendants frequently remove cases to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. We litigate in both state and federal court.

Does Patterson Law Group have an office in Houston?

We do not have a brick-and-mortar office in Houston. We serve Houston-area clients from our Fort Worth and San Antonio offices. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Houston for depositions, mediations, court hearings, and trial.

How much does it cost to hire Patterson Law Group for a Houston truck case?

Nothing up front. We take commercial-trucking cases on contingency — you pay no attorney fees unless we recover for you. The consultation is free and confidential, and we advance investigation, expert, and litigation costs out of pocket until the case resolves. Se habla español.

Hit by an 18-wheeler in Houston? Talk to a Texas trial lawyer today.

Free phone or Zoom consultation · No fee unless we win · Available 24/7 · Se habla español

(817) 784-2000 Free Case Review