Find a truck accident lawyer in El Paso: truck routes, border freight and what to save

Last checked November 8, 2026

A truck crash on a rural highway goes to the Texas Highway Patrol, and one on a city street goes to El Paso Police.12 Act quickly: trucking companies only have to keep driver hours logs for 6 months.3 You generally have 2 years to sue in Texas, and a city truck needs a sworn notice in 90 days.45

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Road map of El Paso showing I-10, Loop 375 and Interstate 110 to the Bridge of the Americas, routes named in city code for hazardous cargo
Trucking companies must keep driver hours logs for only 6 months. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Why are there so many semi trucks in El Paso?

Because the border runs through town. TxDOT's border sheet for El Paso lists 836,977 northbound commercial vehicle crossings in 2024.6 The Bridge of the Americas handles trucks along with buses, walkers and regular cars.7 The city says the Ysleta/Zaragoza port processes more than 1.3 million cargo trucks a year.8

All of that freight lands on the same roads people drive to work. In 2025, El Paso County had 1,014 crashes with a commercial vehicle, and 7 people died.9 The regional planning agency names IH-10, Loop 375, US 54 and SH 20 among its crash hot spots.10

Which streets can big rigs use in El Paso?

The city code has a list. Where signs give notice, oversize trucks on trips that start or end outside the city must stay on the streets in Schedule VIII.11 That list includes Alameda from Paisano to the city limits, Americas from Zaragoza to IH-10, Dyer from Fred Wilson to the city limits, Montana from Piedras to the city limits and Joe Battle from IH-10 to Railroad.12

A driver may leave those routes, but only by the most direct way to a pickup or delivery.13 So if a big rig hit you on a neighborhood street, ask where it was headed. A broken route rule does not prove fault by itself. It is still worth telling your lawyer and the investigator.

Rule in city codeWhat it says
Hazardous cargoLimited to listed routes, including IH-10, IH-110 to the Bridge of the Americas, US 54 and Loop 37514
Downtown size limitOver 45 feet long, 8 feet wide or 13 feet 6 inches tall needs a written police permit in the central traffic district15

What truck records can disappear after a wreck in El Paso?

RecordFederal ruleWhat it can show
Driver hours logsKeep at least 6 months3Whether the driver went past the limit
Driving limitsUp to 11 hours driving after 10 off, and none after 14 on the clock16The yardstick for those logs
Company crash listKeep 3 years after each crash17A pattern of earlier wrecks
Alcohol test after a deadly crashThe company tests its surviving driver as soon as it can18Whether alcohol played a part

A company has no reason to hold on to helpful proof for you. Someone needs to send a written demand to keep it, and soon. If the driver spent hours waiting at a bridge, ask about it, because the 14-hour limit runs on the clock.16

At the scene, or from your hospital bed through a friend, get the name on the cab door, the DOT number and the plates on both the tractor and the trailer. A truck from a cross-border run may have one company on the door and another on the load.

Who investigates a truck accident on I-10 in El Paso?

It depends on where it happened. Inside the city, EPPD Records has the report at 911 N. Raynor St. for $6.21920 The Sheriff's Traffic Section handles crashes from minor to fatal in county areas, and its reports are also $6.2122 Troopers cover rural highways, and TxDOT sells a copy of any Texas officer's report.123 EPPD has also worked crashes on I-10 inside the city, as in an August 2026 case at Airway.24

If you are not sure who came, TxDOT's system is often the easiest place to look, and it emails the report to you.25 More than 40% of El Paso's most severe crashes were on state roads, so expect that some truck cases will start with TxDOT records.26

How much insurance do truck companies need in El Paso?

  • Regular freight hauled for hire across state lines: $750,000 or more.27
  • Some bulk hazardous loads: $5 million or more.28
  • A regular Texas car policy, for comparison: at least $30,000 per person.29

Find out who owned the tractor, who owned the trailer, who hired the driver and what was on board. Ask whether the carrier is based in the United States or in Mexico, and who insures it. The answers can change which rules apply and who has to pay.

What if a City of El Paso truck hit me?

A garbage truck, a street crew or a Sun Metro bus changes your deadline.30 You need a sworn notice to the Mayor within 90 days, or 6 months for good cause.531 Mail it to the Office of the Mayor, P.O. Box 1890, El Paso 79950.32 The city charter also says no suit can start until the claim has first gone to the Council.33

What should I ask a truck accident lawyer in El Paso?

  • Have you worked on cases with cross-border carriers?
  • Will you send a letter this week telling the company to save its logs and truck data?
  • Who else may share the blame, such as the shipper or a repair shop?
  • How would Texas's 50% fault rule affect me?34

Questions

How long do I have to sue after a truck accident in El Paso?

Generally 2 years.4 If a City of El Paso truck was involved, a sworn notice is due in 90 days, or 6 months for good cause.5

Who pays if a semi hits me in El Paso?

Often the driver's employer or its insurer. It depends on who owned the truck and who was at fault. Above 50% fault, you recover nothing in Texas.34

Where can trucks drive in El Paso?

Oversize trucks on outside trips must use the streets in the city's Schedule VIII where signs give notice.11 They can leave only by the most direct way for a pickup or delivery.13

How do I get the report for a truck crash near the bridge?

Buy it from the agency that responded, or from TxDOT, which holds Texas crash records.23 It costs $6, or $8 certified.35

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El Paso

Truck accident

Texas

Sources

  1. Texas DPS, Highway Patrol Service, checked 2026-11-08. “responsible for general police traffic supervision, traffic, and criminal law enforcement on the rural highways of Texas”
  2. El Paso Police Department, Records & Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “The EPPD Records Division provides access to official reports, including accident, incident, and offense records”
  3. 49 C.F.R. § 395.8(k)(1), checked 2026-11-08. “A motor carrier shall retain records of duty status and supporting documents required under this part for each of its drivers for a period of not less than 6 months from the date of receipt.”
  4. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  5. City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall within 90 days or within 6 months for good cause shown from the date the damage occurred or the injury was received, give notice in writing to the mayor”
  6. TxDOT, El Paso Region Texas Border Facts, March 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “12,702,825 6,501,062 129,662 836,977 16,375”
  7. TxDOT, El Paso Region Texas Border Facts, March 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “which handles commercial vehicles, buses, pedestrians, and passenger vehicles”
  8. City of El Paso news release, October 14, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “The port processes more than 1.3 million cargo trucks, 6.9 million personal vehicles, and 2.4 million pedestrians each year”
  9. TxDOT, 2025 CMV Involved Crashes and Injuries by County, checked 2026-11-08. “El Paso 7 7 14 15 117 165 84 119 780 2,327 12 114 1,014”
  10. El Paso MPO, RMS 2052 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Chapter 4, checked 2026-11-08. “particularly Downtown El Paso and along major corridors such as IH-10, SH 20, US 62, Loop 375, US 54, and US 85”
  11. El Paso Municipal Code § 12.88.080, checked 2026-11-08. “no person shall operate any motor vehicle in excess of the dimensions specified in the section except upon any of the following streets or parts of streets”
  12. El Paso Municipal Code § 12.88.080, checked 2026-11-08. “Alameda from Paisano to the city limits”
  13. El Paso Municipal Code § 12.40.090, checked 2026-11-08. “utilizes the most direct route to and from the truck routes, and does so for the purpose of making a pick-up and/or delivery in the course of business”
  14. El Paso Municipal Code § 12.88.110, checked 2026-11-08. “Interstate Highway 110 between Interstate 10 and south city limits (International Boundary at Cordova Port-of-Entry: Bridge of the Americas)”
  15. El Paso Municipal Code § 12.40.030, checked 2026-11-08. “exceeding forty-five feet in length, or eight feet in width, or thirteen feet six inches in height shall not be operated within the central traffic district”
  16. 49 C.F.R. § 395.3(a)(2)-(3), checked 2026-11-08. “(2) 14-hour period. A driver may not drive after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on-duty following 10 consecutive hours off-duty. (3) Driving time and interruptions of driving periods — (i) Driving time. A driver may drive a total of 11 hours during the period specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.”
  17. 49 C.F.R. § 390.15(b), checked 2026-11-08. “Motor carriers must maintain an accident register for 3 years after the date of each accident.”
  18. 49 C.F.R. § 382.303(a)(1), checked 2026-11-08. “As soon as practicable following an occurrence involving a commercial motor vehicle operating on a public road in commerce, each employer shall test for alcohol for each of its surviving drivers: (1) Who was performing safety-sensitive functions with respect to the vehicle, if the accident involved the loss of human life”
  19. El Paso Police Department, Records & Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “EPPD RECORDS DIVISION 911 N. Raynor St El Paso, TX 79903”
  20. El Paso Police Department, Records & Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Accident or Crash Reports $6.00”
  21. El Paso County Sheriff, Traffic Section, checked 2026-11-08. “minor accident investigations to accidents involving serious injuries and death”
  22. El Paso County Sheriff, Criminal / Accident Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Crash Reports - $6.00”
  23. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “TxDOT is the custodian of crash records for the state of Texas”
  24. El Paso Police news release, August 8, 2026, checked 2026-11-08. “The unknown vehicle exited I10 at the off ramp to Airway and fled the scene.”
  25. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “receive their report(s) via email following the purchase”
  26. City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “Over 40% of the most severe crashes in El Paso occurred on a state roadway, resulting in 371 deaths or serious injuries”
  27. 49 C.F.R. § 387.9, checked 2026-11-08. “(1) For-hire (In interstate or foreign commerce, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 or more pounds) Property (nonhazardous) $750,000”
  28. 49 C.F.R. § 387.9, checked 2026-11-08. “(2) For-hire and Private (In interstate, foreign, or intrastate commerce, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 or more pounds) Hazardous substances, as defined in 49 CFR 171.8, transported in bulk in cargo tanks, portable tanks, or hopper-type vehicles [...] 5,000,000”
  29. Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072(a-1), checked 2026-11-08. “(1) $30,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one collision; (2) $60,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in one collision, subject to the amount provided by Subdivision (1) for bodily injury to or death of one of the persons; and (3) $25,000 for damage to or destruction of property of others in one collision.”
  30. Sun Metro Suspension of Service Policy, checked 2026-11-08. “the City of El Paso's Mass Transit Department (Sun Metro)”
  31. City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be sworn to by the person claiming damages or by someone authorized by him to do so on his behalf”
  32. City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Office of the Mayor P.O. Box 1890 El Paso, Texas, 79950”
  33. City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “no suit shall be instituted against the City unless the claimant shall aver and prove that, previous to filing the original petition, the claim was presented to the Council”
  34. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
  35. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “$6 for a regular copy. $8 for a certified copy”

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