Services
Document a loss
Support a claim
For carriers and employers
Service areas
Middle Tennessee
- Nashville
- Clarksville
- Murfreesboro
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Smyrna
- Spring Hill
- Gallatin
- Lebanon
- Columbia
- Brentwood
- Mount Juliet
- La Vergne
- Cookeville
East Tennessee
West Tennessee
Hit by a Commercial Vehicle: Documentation for Self-Represented Claims
People handling their own claim after a collision with a truck, van or other company vehicle can have their car and the scene recorded by a licensed Tennessee investigator. Delator Claims Division documents evidence only and is not a law firm, adjuster or adviser.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
A crash with a commercial vehicle puts an individual across the table from a business and its insurer, both of which handle claims routinely. The work truck is usually repaired and returned to service quickly, and the company keeps its own records. The individual often has a damaged car, a few pictures and a memory of a logo on a door. A field record gives that person an organized account of the physical evidence within their reach.
That is the full extent of the service. We give no legal advice, do not negotiate with the company or its insurer, do not act as a public adjuster, and do not tell you what the claim is worth or what to do next. We also do not obtain the company's internal records or download data from its vehicle. We document what can be lawfully seen and measured.
Common reasons individuals call after a truck crash
- A delivery van or box truck struck your parked car, and you want the damage height and location on the street recorded.
- A tractor-trailer changed lanes or turned wide into your vehicle, and the long scrape along your car has not been properly photographed.
- You noted a company name or unit number at the scene and want the location documented while details are fresh.
- The collision happened at a loading dock, alley or business entrance where trucks come and go, and the layout is unfamiliar to outsiders.
- Your vehicle went partly beneath a trailer or tall bumper, and the damage sits higher than in an ordinary car-to-car collision.
What goes into the field record
- Damage height on your vehicle
- Measurements from the ground to the top and bottom of the contact area, which often sits at bumper, step or trailer-frame height on a larger vehicle.
- Scrape length and direction
- Long sideswipe and wide-turn scrapes photographed end to end with a tape in view, including where contact begins, deepens and ends along the body.
- Material left behind
- Fragments of lens, reflective tape, mud flap, rubber or paint from the larger vehicle found on your car or at the scene, photographed in place before collection by anyone.
- Turning and maneuvering space
- Lane widths, curb radius, driveway width and the position of stop lines at the corner or entrance, measured where traffic allows.
- Site layout and truck routing
- Loading zones, dock approaches, posted truck-route or delivery signs, and the entrances a large vehicle would use, photographed from the street and from public areas.
- Visible exterior cameras
- The location and direction of cameras on nearby businesses and docks that appear to face the area, listed in the notes so you know they exist.
From request to delivered record
- RequestCall dispatch or submit the request form with the location, loss type and urgency.
- DeployDispatch assigns the nearest available licensed field investigator through the statewide network.
- DocumentPhotographs, video, measurements and factual notes are captured once the scene is safe to work.
- PreserveFiles are timestamped, organized and kept in their original form with a record of who captured them.
- ReportThe package is delivered securely to the requesting party, typically the same day.
What tends to be argued about after a collision with a larger vehicle
Size changes the questions. A long vehicle swings wide on a turn and its trailer tracks inside the path of the cab. A tall vehicle has large areas its driver cannot see directly. Contact may happen far back along a trailer, so the driver may report never feeling it. Disagreements commonly center on which lane each vehicle occupied, whether the car was alongside before the maneuver began, and where along the larger vehicle the contact occurred.
Physical evidence speaks to those questions without anyone's opinion attached. The height of the damage on your car, the direction of the scrapes and the geometry of the corner are facts that can be measured. Tennessee follows modified comparative fault, so the allocation of responsibility can matter. Delator does not make that allocation for you or predict it. We record the measurements and conditions and leave the conclusions to others.
A neutral file compared with pictures taken at the roadside
Roadside pictures are usually taken quickly, close to traffic, with the truck already pulled away. They seldom include a scale or a wide view that shows how the vehicles fit in the roadway. An investigator returns to the location under calmer conditions, works through it in order, and photographs your car with measurements in the frame. Field notes record the date, time, weather and the position of the camera for the key images.
Because the investigator has no interest in the result, the file reads the same to every party. You may give it to an insurance representative, a repair facility or an attorney if you choose to hire one. We do not send it to anyone but you unless you instruct us to, and we do not contact the trucking company, its driver or its insurer about your claim.
Delator documents evidence for people handling their own claim. It does not give legal advice, negotiate with insurers, tell you what a claim is worth, or act as a public adjuster. What you do with the record is your decision.
If you need advice about your rights, deadlines or strategy, speak with a licensed Tennessee attorney.
Common questions about this service
Can you get the truck's dashcam video or the driver's records for me?
No. Those belong to the company, and we have no authority to demand them. We also do not download electronic data from the other vehicle. We document your vehicle, the scene and anything visible from public places, including the location of exterior cameras nearby. How to pursue records held by someone else is a legal question for an attorney.
Are you acting as my adjuster or representative against the trucking company?
No. Delator Claims Division documents evidence only. We are not a law firm, we give no legal advice, and we do not negotiate with insurers or act as a public adjuster. We do not estimate what your claim is worth or tell you what to do with the documentation once it is delivered.
Can you photograph the commercial vehicle itself?
Only where it can be lawfully observed, such as parked on a public street or in a lot open to the public. We do not enter private yards or terminals without permission. If the vehicle cannot be located or viewed, the record will cover your car and the scene, and the notes will say that the other vehicle was not examined.
The crash was on an interstate. Can the scene still be documented?
Often, with limits. The investigator works from the shoulder and other safe positions and does not enter live lanes, so some measurements may not be possible. Guardrail contact, shoulder marks, signs and approach views can usually be photographed. The field notes state what was recorded and what could not be reached.
Available statewide, including
Every Tennessee county is covered. See the deployment map for typical response tiers by county.
Request documentation anywhere in Tennessee
Dispatch is staffed around the clock. For time-sensitive scenes, calling is fastest; the request form works for routine and scheduled assignments.