Every day, commercial trucks travel New York’s highways. Some trucks carry cargo across state lines. Others make deliveries exclusively within New York. Although these vehicles may look identical, the distinction between interstate and intrastate trucking can have important legal consequences.
Interstate trucking generally involves transporting goods or passengers across state or international borders. Intrastate trucking involves transportation that takes place entirely within one state and is not part of a broader interstate movement. When a truck accident occurs, understanding the difference can be important.
Keep reading to learn more about the differences between interstate and intrastate trucking and why they matter after a truck accident.
What Is Interstate Trucking?
Interstate trucking involves commercial transportation that crosses state or international boundaries or forms part of a broader interstate shipment.
Under federal regulations, interstate commerce can include transportation between locations in different states, between two locations in the same state that passes through another state, and entirely within one state when the shipment originates or terminates outside the state.
For example, imagine a tractor-trailer picks up merchandise in Pennsylvania and delivers it to New York City. Because the truck transports goods across state lines, the shipment involves interstate commerce. Similarly, a truck transporting freight from New York to New Jersey would generally be engaged in interstate trucking.
Interstate commerce does not always require the individual truck involved in a collision to cross a state line.
What Is Intrastate Trucking?
Intrastate trucking generally involves transporting goods or passengers entirely within one state without participating in a broader interstate shipment.
For example, imagine a construction company loads gravel at a quarry near Albany and delivers it to a construction site in Syracuse. If the transportation begins and ends in New York and is not part of an interstate movement, it would qualify as intrastate trucking. Other examples could include local delivery trucks or commercial carriers operating within New York.
However, a trucking company’s local route does not automatically establish that it is engaged in intrastate commerce. The nature of the shipment matters. A truck transporting goods between two New York warehouses may be engaged in interstate commerce if the transportation is part of a continuous shipment originating outside the state.
Why Does the Interstate or Intrastate Distinction Matter After a Truck Accident?
The distinction can affect the legal investigation in several important ways. Most importantly, it helps identify the safety standards that the driver and trucking company were required to follow. Interstate trucking is primarily regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), while purely intrastate trucking is regulated at the state level.
State trucking regulations occasionally mirror federal regulations, but if there are differences, they may be important in the event of a truck accident. The distinctions between the two matter when investigating issues such as vehicle maintenance, driver qualifications, hours-of-service rules, and financial responsibility requirements that may arise in an accident case.
A violation does not automatically establish that the trucking company is liable for every injury. The injured person must establish the legal elements of the applicable claim, but violations can serve as strong evidence in negligence-based cases. Knowing what rules the trucking company, its driver, and other parties were supposed to follow can be a key step in building a case.
Who Can Be Liable?
Truck accidents often involve more than one potentially liable party. The truck driver may be responsible. The trucking company may also have liability.
Depending on the case, responsible parties may include:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The vehicle owner
- A cargo loading company
- A shipping company
- A maintenance or repair contractor
- A manufacturer of a defective part
- Another party whose negligence contributed
An attorney can examine the relationships of all involved parties. Your attorney can determine which defendants may share blame.
What Damages Can Victims Recover?
Truck accident victims in New York are allowed to pursue economic, non-economic, and sometimes punitive damages.
These may include:
- Medical expenses
- Therapy and rehabilitation
- Future medical costs
- Lost wages
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of quality of life
- Wrongful death damages
Punitive damages are not available in every case. They are intended to punish and deter wrongful behavior.
Contact the New York Truck Accident Lawyers at Carrion Accident & Injury Attorneys, PLLC
A trucking company must comply with applicable safety requirements whether they are engaged in interstate or intrastate business. When negligence causes a collision, innocent victims may have options.
If you or a loved one was injured in a New York truck accident, don’t take on the challenge alone. Contact Carrion Accident & Injury Attorneys, PLLC for a free case review. Our New York truck accident lawyers can help determine who is responsible and fight for the compensation you deserve.