Hit by Truck trailer...

Just playing devils advicate.
The way you are wording sounds well inprobable. It doesn't deminish the fact that you were involved in a accident.

So let me get this right you were sitting at a Stop sign or a traffic light and the driver turned left or right in front of you or next to you, and hit your pickup truck?
How long was the trailer 30ft., 40ft., 48ft. or 53ft.
Because if you were on a back road traveling and he was traveling in the other direction, and you both met in a curve then he was offtracking nothing they can do about that.
If he had a smaller trailer then you probably are correct he cut the curve.

Not to worry if you have his tag and company name then they will make it right send them the police report along with the photo you took all will be good.

You sir have made up your mind not been given all the facts on both sides.

As you may have guessed yes I am a Jerk Tractor Trailer driver that drives the back roads in the mountains of WNC. My day is not complete till I get the finger from 1 of those perfect driving outstandingly great 4 wheeler drivers on the road that wont give me a break when trying to make a turn or back into a customers lot.

 

Call the trucking company... I did that when the same thing happened to my wife. Truck was driving on a street in town that had NO TRUCK signs EVERYWHERE, for a fucking reason, hello??

I had to get a little pissy with the trucking company and asked to speak with the owner. Once I got the owner on the phone everything was tco'd. A lot of these companies carry there own insurance. All they have to do is bond up some money and not really carry insurance. So you get the trucking company to write you a check. So a thorough estimate is needed and be sure everything is on the first estimate. I'd get that rear panel replaced. Don't forget your panel sticker.... G/L with it.

Sorry for your loss, that sucks.

 

So we were both traveling in opposite directions it wasn’t a back road it was main highway. We were going around a corner and yes the length of his trailer meant he had to come across my side of the road however, he knows the length of his trailer, he knows he can’t clear the corner without crossing into oncoming traffic I’m assuming he would have completed some additional training or license. Just because he needed to cross over to oncoming traffic doesn’t mean you just do it in to another vehicle. Common sense says wait until it’s clear not keep coming. I had my two year old and nine year old in the back and a drop to my right. He came across in to me. I’m not bashing big rig drivers in any way. Just this one.

 

Don't even have your permanent plates yet

 

Nope

 

The fact that he hit you isn't really the issue, accidents happen. The issue is he drove off after the fact, which tells me he either wasn't paying any attention at all or thought he could get away with it.

Neither of these are acceptable excuses, if you got the plate number it should be pretty cut and dry case. Shouldn't be a penny coming out of your pocket for repairs or rental vehicle, still a bummer this happened though.

 

Exactly why you guys have a bad name what a dick ha ha

 

So he hit you, you stopped to take the dangling mirror off instead of pursuing the tractor immediately?

 

I pulled over once around the corner got out to inspect the damage thinking he would have stopped. Looked back and saw him continuing on so cut the dangling side mirror off threw it in the back and went after him. Didn’t want the mirror doing any more damage as it bangs against the truck. Was able to catch him back up and get a pic.

 

Thankyou.

 

You handled that very calmly then.

Someone hit me and tried driving off. I blocked a major ramp with my truck during rush hour traffic to force him to pull over

 

Pump the brakes there big rig I clearly stated they are on both sides. Way to take offense though.



I’m a very courteous and safe driver (and rider), so for you to assume that I assumed, just makes you look like a hypocrite. I have my reasoning but find it unceccary to document my sources at this time.

 

Lol I had the kids with me so initially was just wanting to pull over make sure everyone and the truck were ok. I actually expected the damage to be much worse.

 

Random question, really like the stance of your truck. Is it lifted? Was thinking about getting a lift or leveling kit, that’s on hold now obviously but still in the back of my mind.

 

I had a dash cam rolling in my truck the first day I drove it off the lot. They are totally worth the investment.

Paul- sorry this was too late for you. Hope it works out without too many more issues.

 

Always sooo much misinformation on the interwebs regarding insurance...

OP, really sorry about that, really sucks, especially when it's not your fault, and when your truck is brand new! First of all, double check your insurance. Policies vary state-to-state, so taking advice from random people all over the country isn't the best idea (says some random guy on the internet from somewhere the other side of the country).

That being said;

This should be considered an "Uninsured Motorist" claim, and your state might have a mandated maximum deductible (here in TX, there is a max $250 deductible on uninsured/underinsured claims). Ideally you'd want to catch the truck, and claim under his policy, but as someone else mentioned, often trucking companies are "self-insured", or have commercial policies that behoove them to pay claims directly as opposed to turning it in. HOWEVER...typical response from these self-insured places (looking at you, taxi cab companies) is to tell you to claim under your policy and they will "work it out with your company". This is code for "Handle it under your own policy, and when your insurance company comes calling, we'll just tell them to go pound sand". More often than not, it's not worth an insurance company's time to take them to court over a $3000 loss, so they eat it. Sadly, this leaves you with a claim on your record (altho uninsured/underinsured should not count against you), and out the money for your deductible. If your company is able to successfully get reimbursement from the trucker's company (this is called Subrogation), they would refund your deductible. Since their driver committed a hit&run, I would hope they would be more willing to cooperate.*shrug*

Your bedside damage is pretty ugly, a good shop would want to replace that panel vs. repair it. Color matching these days is standard practice, so no worries there. And the bed panel is bolt-on, which is much better than having to replace a welded-on panel like on a 2004 Tacoma, for example. Do your research and find a good body shop, not just the one closest to home or the one that has a big radio/TV ad budget. And recommendations from agents, dealerships or wrecker drivers should be taken with a grain of salt, kick-backs are common place (Good shops don't need to bribe people to get business).

And Diminished Value Claims are fairly new, and so they are evolving, recognized sometimes, and other times not. You cannot claim DV under your own policy generally, but should be able to if the trucker pays for it. Industry guideline is 10% of damages. But, since your truck is BRAND new, possibly more is in order. And it is negotiable, you don't need to take their first offer. Insurance companies are understaffed and overworked these days, would prefer to get the claim handled and off their desk, as opposed to drag it out forever.

Again, this is all general information, may vary in your state. For reference, licensed adjuster who rebuilds wrecks and restores classics in his spare time, 35 years combined bodyshop/insurance career here...

Good luck!

 

This is awesome, thank you so much for taking the time to provide this info. Really appreciated!

 

Yeah 6112’s in the front and 5160s in the rear with ad a leafs.

 

Trying to ID the truck driver or company. This is the plate AD-55096. Is this a government vehicle? Location is Georgia if that helps.

 

Beaver Toyota of Cumming, GA??? For real???? Priceless.

Glad you and your kids are ok.

If the metal is creased badly the body shop might just replace the whole side bed panel. Mirror should be easily replaced. The scratches on the drivers door might buff out, if not, it will be repainted. What sucks is your on the hook for your insurance deductible to pay any damages. Sounds like you got a police report and the trucking company contacted. You will get your deductible back if they are deemed at fault.

Almost a year ago someone made a left turn into my driver side rear door. He told his insurance company I blew the stop sign and that he was 2/3 of the way thru the intersection/turn. If that were the case I would have t-boned him and hit is passenger side front wheel/door area. Luckily I had the police report which put him at fault. His company refused the claim and it went to arbitration, which I won. I did have to foot $500 for my deductible but I didn’t want to wait 3 months for the repairs with arbitration. Got my $500 back and my truck fixed.