Negligent Hiring Truck Accident Cases in Texas

Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers

Negligent hiring occurs when a trucking company hires or retains a driver who is not qualified to safely operate a commercial truck or 18-wheeler.  Trucking companies have a responsibility to thoroughly vet drivers before putting them behind the wheel, including verifying their commercial driver’s license, driving history, qualifications, experience, and other safety records. When a trucking company cuts corners and puts an unqualified driver on the road, innocent motorists pay the price.

Unfortunately, the consequences are especially alarming in Texas. In 2025, the most common trucking safety regulation violation issued in the Lone Star State was failure to conduct a required pre-employment check of a driver’s drug and alcohol violation history (49 CFR § 382.701), with more than 650 investigations resulting in citations. And between 2020 and 2024, at least 856 fatal truck crashes in Texas involved truck drivers operating with a revoked, suspended, or otherwise invalid commercial driver’s license. Many of these crashes were entirely preventable, resulting from trucking companies failing to properly vet and monitor their drivers’ qualifications.

At Zehl & Associates, we have secured Billions for accident victims, including some of the largest truck accident settlements and verdicts in Texas and U.S. history. Our undefeated Texas truck accident lawyers know how to investigate the trucking company’s role in a crash, uncover evidence of negligent hiring and supervision, and hold trucking companies fully accountable when they put unqualified drivers on the road.

How Zehl & Associates Can Help When Negligent Hiring Causes a Truck Crash

When a trucking company’s negligent hiring or retention contributes to a serious truck crash, you have the right to hold them accountable for causing you and your family harm — and you should. But the company and its team of defense attorneys and insurers will do everything in their power to avoid responsibility and pay you as little as possible for your injuries and losses. They’ll blame you for the crash, lose important evidence, and question and downplay the seriousness of your injuries.

Only experienced truck accident lawyers with a proven record of handling complex negligent hiring cases knows how to combat their tactics, uncover the truth, and ensure that you receive the maximum recovery possible. Our undefeated trial attorneys have taken on the largest trucking companies in the country and secured record-setting results for our clients after unqualified drivers were allowed to operate despite previous drug and alcohol violations, a history of license suspensions, unsafe driving, and serious safety-related disciplinary actions.

Our Results in Truck Accident Cases Involving Negligent Hiring

• #1 Largest Truck Accident Settlement in Texas for a man who tragically lost his wife and suffered serious injuries in a crash involving a trucking company that was negligent and grossly negligent in its hiring, training, retention, and supervision.
• #1 Largest Truck Accident Settlement in Fort Worth History for a family who lost their loved one after a trucking company failed to identify a driver’s sleep disorder during pre-employment and annual checks despite the driver’s nighttime work.
• Truck Verdict 10x Offer for a family injured after a trucking company failed to establish meaningful driver training, supervision, and safety procedures despite being audited and cited by the Texas Department of Transportation.

When you choose Zehl & Associates, you’re choosing a team that fights for the maximum compensation possible and ensures our clients receive the best medical care available.

Trucking companies know we prepare every case for trial from day one. They know we will never accept anything less than the full compensation our clients deserve for all of their injuries and losses. And they know our reputation for securing some of the largest verdicts and settlements in Texas and U.S. history.

As a result, many of our cases settle for record-breaking amounts before we ever set foot in a courtroom.

Can I Sue the Trucking Company for Negligent Hiring After a Truck Accident in Texas?

Yes. If a trucking company negligently hired or retained an unqualified or unsafe driver, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit against the company in addition to the driver and other responsible parties. In many cases, a trucking company may still be held accountable even when the driver was hired through a third party or classified as an independent contractor.

You have the right to pursue compensation from every party whose negligence contributed to your injuries, including:

• If the driver was an independent contractor: The driver’s classification does not automatically protect the trucking company from liability for negligent hiring or retention.
• If you were partially at fault: Texas allows accident victims to recover as long as the trucking company or its driver is at least 50% responsible for causing the accident. For example, if the jury finds you were 30% at fault in the truck accident, you’ll still be able to recover 70% of your damages.
• If multiple parties were involved: Truck crashes often involve the driver, trucking company, motor carrier, fleet manager, vehicle owner, maintenance provider, or in some cases, the broker and/or shipper who hired the trucking company to transport the load.
• If the trucking company denies responsibility: An experienced truck accident lawyer can investigate driver qualification files, licensing records, employment history, safety records, and other evidence to determine whether the company should have known the driver was unfit.

In Texas, you have only a two-year window from the accident date to file a negligent hiring truck accident lawsuit, but you need to take action as soon as possible. Acting fast is the only way to preserve critical evidence before records disappear and witness memories fade. Critical onboard data is often overwritten in a matter of days or weeks.

To protect your rights, report the crash to law enforcement, seek immediate medical attention and follow your doctor’s advice, and contact an experienced truck accident attorney right away: 1-888-603-3636.

What Are Negligent Hiring Practices?

Negligent hiring practices can take many forms, from overlooking serious red flags in a driver’s history to failing to verify that a driver meets federal safety and qualification requirements.

Negligent hiring may involve failures such as:

• Driver qualification: Failing to verify that a driver meets applicable licensing and qualification requirements
• Driving records: Failing to investigate a driver’s history of crashes, violations, or license suspensions
• Drug and alcohol screening: Failing to comply with required testing and Clearinghouse requirements
• Medical qualification: Failing to verify that a driver is medically qualified to operate a commercial vehicle
• Hours-of-service records: Ignoring evidence that a driver has repeatedly violated hours-of-service requirements
• Training: Providing drivers with inadequate training for the vehicles they operate

If an unqualified or unsafe driver causes a truck crash and injuries, the trucking company may be held accountable for negligent hiring.

Trucking Companies Have a Duty to Hire Responsibly

Trucking companies are required, under federal law, to perform extensive background checks on and provide comprehensive training to every driver before they start driving for the company. Once they’re hired, federal law requires the trucking companies to both continue providing ongoing safety training and to monitor the driving records of all their drivers on an annual basis. This helps ensure that drivers:

• Do not have disqualifying criminal convictions or drug or alcohol problems
• Meet applicable driving-record requirements
• Have experience operating a similar tractor (truck) and trailer

Companies have a duty to review driving records through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Pre-Employment Screening Program and must comply with applicable drug and alcohol testing, medical qualification, and driver-record requirements.

When trucking companies ignore these requirements or overlook red flags, it is often due to the industry’s ongoing shortage of qualified drivers and the relentless pressure to keep trucks moving. But the need to fill open seats and protect profits does not excuse putting an unsafe driver on Texas roads.

What Evidence is Important to Prove Negligent Hiring in a Truck Accident Lawsuit?

Proving negligent hiring requires evidence showing what the trucking company knew or should have known about the driver before putting them behind the wheel. Our attorneys immediately investigate the driver’s qualifications, licensing records, employment history, and other evidence that reveals whether the trucking company should have known the driver was unfit to operate a commercial vehicle.

Important evidence may include:

• Hiring and employment records
• Driver qualification files and background checks
• Driving records and violation history
• Drug and alcohol testing and Clearinghouse records
• Medical qualification records
• Records from the driver’s previous employers
• Training and safety records
• ELD records, driver logbooks, and hours-of-service records
• Black box data and ECM downloads
• Crash scene evidence and expert testimony

In our experience, trucking companies often fail to investigate even the most obvious warning signs before hiring or retaining a driver. Our attorneys have uncovered cases where companies failed to review a driver’s accident and driving history, conduct required background checks, investigate drug or alcohol issues, or obtain required information from previous employers. 

Recovering Full Compensation After a Truck Accident Involving Negligent Hiring

In order to receive the best medical care in the future and continue to provide for yourself and your family after a truck or 18-wheeler accident, recovering the maximum compensation for all of your injuries and losses is critical. 

But to succeed against the trucking company and its insurance company, you have to act early to protect your rights and secure your family’s future:

• Call 911 and report the accident.
• Take photos and video of the crash scene if you are physically able.
• Seek medical attention, even if you do not immediately feel seriously injured.
• When speaking with police, insurers, or others about the crash, stick to the facts and do not speculate about fault.
• Do not give a statement to the trucking company’s insurance adjuster without first consulting an attorney.
• Follow your doctor’s orders and keep all medical appointments.
• Do not attempt to negotiate a settlement on your own.
• Contact an experienced Texas 18-wheeler accident lawyer.

Zehl & Associates handles complex truck accident cases involving negligent hiring and fights to recover full compensation for our clients’ economic and non-economic damages, including medical expenses, lost income, physical pain, and mental anguish. We have recovered punitive damages in every case we have taken to trial against powerful trucking companies.

Most importantly, we understand the devastating impact that large truck accidents have on our clients, which is why we limit our caseload, devoting our full resources and focus to maximizing our clients’ recoveries and standing by them every step of the way. Every truck accident case is unique, but our commitment remains the same: We never back down until we’ve secured the full compensation our clients need to care for themselves and provide for their families for the rest of their lives.

Undefeated Texas Truck & 18-Wheeler Accident Attorneys: 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consult

Having recovered Billions for truck and 18-wheeler accident victims, including the #1 Largest Truck and 18-Wheeler Accident Verdicts & Settlements in history, our Texas Truck Accident Lawyers don’t just win on behalf of our clients — We Set Records.

If you were injured in a truck accident involving negligent hiring. contact us today for a free consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or by sending a confidential email through our Contact Us page.

We’ll answer your questions, explain your rights, and make sure you have the information you need to decide what’s best for you and your family.

All consultations are free, and you won’t pay a dime unless we win your case.