Find a Midland truck accident lawyer: oilfield routes, records and deadlines

Last checked November 8, 2026

In Midland County, 11 of 45 traffic deaths in 2025 came in crashes with commercial vehicles.12 State troopers cover rural highways, and Midland Police cover city streets.34 A trucking company may keep driver logs for only 6 months.5 You generally have 2 years to sue,6 but a City of Midland truck needs written notice within 60 days.7

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Road map of Midland showing Loop 250, SH 191 and SH 349, marked as regional and hazardous material truck routes on the city's map
Truck companies may keep driver logs for only 6 months. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How common are oilfield truck crashes in Midland?

Common, and too often deadly. TxDOT counted 536 crashes with a commercial motor vehicle in Midland County in 2025, and 11 people died in them.2 That is about one of every four traffic deaths in the county that year.1 On state roads across the Permian Basin in 2024, commercial vehicles were in 16% of crashes but 28% of the fatal ones.8

The open road is where most people die here. Of the county's 45 traffic deaths in 2025, 11 were on interstates and 22 were on US and state highways. Only 4 were on city streets.9 A 2016 fact sheet said much of the truck traffic on I-20 was tied to energy work.10

TxDOT says heavy truck traffic in oil and gas areas can wear down road surfaces, limit what drivers can see and leave less room to get around hazards on rural roads.11 Failure to control speed and driver inattention lead its list of causes.12 Those are driver choices, not bad luck.

Where are 18-wheelers allowed to drive in Midland?

The city publishes a truck route map under City Code Title X, Chapter 1. It marks two kinds of routes.13

Type on the city mapStreets shownA question to raise
Regional and hazardous materialLoop 250, SH 191, SH 349, FM 1788 and part of Fairgrounds Road14What was the truck hauling?
Local truck routeWadley, Midkiff, Midland Drive, Big Spring, Golf Course, Andrews Highway, Wall and Front15Was it headed to a delivery?
Not markedNeighborhood streets and other roadsWhy was a big truck there at all?

Being off a marked route does not prove fault, and a truck can have a good reason to be there. We could not open the full text of that chapter of the city code, so use the map as a starting point and have a lawyer read the ordinance.

Area freight routes also include Garden City Highway and US 385.16 Loop 250 at Andrews Highway had 265 crashes from 2018 to 2022, the most of any intersection.17 More work zones may come, since TxDOT has proposed rebuilding I-20 from east of FM 1208 to east of SH 349.18 Midland County had 381 work zone crashes in 2025.19

Who investigates a truck wreck in Midland?

Where it happenedWho usually has itHow to get the report
Rural highwayTexas Highway Patrol3From TxDOT, $6 or $8 certified2021
City streetMidland Police, which lists a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement unit22Records, 601 N. Loraine, (432) 685-7145, usually after five days2324
County roadMidland County Sheriff25Records Section, (432) 688-466026

Ask whether the truck was inspected after the wreck and who did it. DPS has a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement office in Midland at 2405 S. Loop 250 W, (432) 498-2180.27 An inspection can show bad brakes or loose loads that a crash report never mentions.

What records can a Midland truck accident lawyer ask a company to save?

RecordFederal ruleWhat it can show
Hours of service logsKept at least 6 months5A driver pushing past the limit
Driving limits11 hours behind the wheel after 10 hours off, and none after 14 hours on the clock28The yardstick for those logs
The company's crash registerKept 3 years29A pattern of wrecks
Alcohol test after a fatal crashDone as soon as the company can30Whether drinking played a part

Six months goes fast when you are in a hospital bed. A letter asking the company to preserve its logs, dash camera video and truck data should go out early. Oilfield work adds a wrinkle: the name on the door may not be the company that hired the load. Photograph the DOT number and every name on the cab, trailer and load ticket.

How much insurance must a trucking company carry in Midland?

  • For-hire carriers hauling ordinary freight across state lines: at least $750,000.31
  • Some bulk hazardous loads: at least $5 million.32
  • A regular Texas car policy, by comparison: $30,000 per person and $60,000 per crash.33

The federal floors reach only the carriers the rule covers. A hauler that never leaves Texas may have a different floor, so ask for the actual policy instead of a guess. You can tell an adjuster you will talk after you have seen a doctor and read your report.

Who can be responsible for an oilfield truck crash in Midland?

More than the driver, in many cases. Look at the carrier, the company that hired it, whoever loaded the truck and any shop that fixed the brakes. Texas bars you from recovering money if you are more than 50% at fault, so expect each company to point at you and at the others.34

Plenty of people hit by trucks here are at work themselves. If that is you, you may have workers' comp and also a claim against an outside company.35

What if a City of Midland truck hit you?

A trash truck or street crew changes the clock. The city charter requires written, verified notice to the mayor and city council within 60 days.736 It must name the amount you would settle for, your address and your witnesses.37 Send a copy to Risk Management at PO Box 1152, Midland 79702, and call 432-685-7246.3839 A county or state vehicle generally has a six-month notice.40

What should you ask a truck accident attorney in Midland?

  • How many cases have you handled under federal trucking rules?
  • Will a preservation letter go out this week?
  • How will you find out who really hired this truck?
  • How would Texas's 50% rule affect my case?34

Questions

What is the deadline to sue after a truck accident in Midland?

Generally 2 years.6 A claim against the City of Midland needs written notice within 60 days.7

Who investigates a wreck on I-20 near Midland?

State troopers work the rural highways, and TxDOT holds the crash reports.320 If it happened inside the city, ask Midland Police Records at (432) 685-7145.23

Can a truck drive down my street in Midland?

The city map marks local and regional truck routes.13 A truck off those routes may still have a reason, such as a delivery.

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Midland

Truck accident

Texas

Sources

  1. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries by County, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland 44 45 125 150 620 909 473 752 2,763 8,212 186 559 4,211”
  2. TxDOT, 2025 CMV Involved Crashes and Injuries by County, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland 11 11 15 19 70 96 43 67 392 1,088 5 37 536”
  3. 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”
  4. TxDOT, Crashes by investigating agency, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “MIDLAND PD 12 12 74 84 393 565 386 624 1,617 5,181 136 394 2,618”
  5. 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.”
  6. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  7. City of Midland Charter, Sec. 8, checked 2026-11-08. “duly verified within sixty days after the same has been sustained”
  8. TxDOT, Energy Sector Update, May 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “CMV Crashes1 16% 14% 9% CMV Fatal Crashes2 28% 25% 18%”
  9. TxDOT, Fatal crashes by county and road type, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland 10 11 22 22 3 3 4 4 4 4 0 0 1 1 0 0 44 45”
  10. Permian Basin MPO, I-20 Corridor Study Fact Sheet (June 2016), checked 2026-11-08. “The corridor sees a significant amount of truck traffic, much of this is associated with the energy sector.”
  11. TxDOT, Energy sector safety, checked 2026-11-08. “less room to maneuver around hazards on rural roads and highways”
  12. TxDOT, Energy Sector Safety Campaign, checked 2026-11-08. “The leading contributors to those crashes were failure to control speed and driver inattention.”
  13. City of Midland, Truck Routes map, checked 2026-11-08. “Regional & Hazardous Material Truck Routes”
  14. City of Midland, Truck Routes map, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland City Code Title X, Chap. 1.”
  15. City of Midland, Truck Routes map, checked 2026-11-08. “Local Truck Route”
  16. Permian Basin MPO, Metropolitan Transportation Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “FM 1788, FM 1882, FM 3503, Garden City Hwy / W. Florida Ave., SH 191, Loop 250, Loop 268 / W. Wall St.”
  17. City of Midland, Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (July 2024), checked 2026-11-08. “Loop 250 & Andrews Hwy/SH 191 265”
  18. TxDOT, I-20 public notice, checked 2026-11-08. “TxDOT is proposing to reconstruct and widen I- 20 from east of FM 1208 to east of SH 349 in Midland County”
  19. TxDOT, Work zone crashes by county, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland 4 5 10 11 40 56 31 41 287 804 9 47 381”
  20. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “TxDOT is the custodian of crash records for the state of Texas”
  21. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “$6 for a regular copy. $8 for a certified copy”
  22. Midland Police, Field Operations Bureau, checked 2026-11-08. “Traffic Unit Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Hit and Run Investigator”
  23. Midland Police Department, Request A Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “MPD Records Phone: (432) 685-7145 Address: 601 N. Loraine”
  24. Midland Police Department, Request A Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Traffic accident reports are typically available at the MPD Records window after 1 p.m., five days after the accident.”
  25. Midland County Sheriff, FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland County Sheriff’s Department 400 S. Main”
  26. Midland County Sheriff, Contact Us, checked 2026-11-08. “Records Section (432) 688-4660”
  27. Texas DPS, CVE offices by city, checked 2026-11-08. “2405 S LOOP 250 W, TX 79703 (432) 498-2180”
  28. 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.”
  29. 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.”
  30. 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”
  31. 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”
  32. 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”
  33. 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.”
  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. Tex. Lab. Code § 417.001(a), checked 2026-11-08. “An employee or legal beneficiary may seek damages from a third party who is or becomes liable to pay damages for an injury or death that is compensable under this subtitle and may also pursue a claim for workers' compensation benefits under this subtitle.”
  36. City of Midland Charter, Sec. 8, checked 2026-11-08. “shall give the mayor and city council notice in writing of such injury”
  37. City of Midland Charter, Sec. 8, checked 2026-11-08. “the amount for which the claimant will settle”
  38. City of Midland, Process for Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Risk Management Division City of Midland PO Box 1152 Midland, TX 79702”
  39. City of Midland, Process for Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “please notify Risk Management as soon as possible by calling 432.685.7246”
  40. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”

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