{"id":7605,"date":"2026-11-06T10:52:18","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T10:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tmaddenlaw.com\/guides\/truck-accident-lawyer-georgia\/how-long-trucking-company-keeps-logs-after-crash\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T10:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T10:52:26","slug":"how-long-trucking-company-keeps-logs-after-crash","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tmaddenlaw.com\/guides\/truck-accident-lawyer-georgia\/how-long-trucking-company-keeps-logs-after-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Trucking Company Driver Logs After a Crash: Georgia Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Trucking Company Driver Logs After a Crash: Georgia Guide<\/h1>
start a free case evaluation<\/a><\/div>
start a free case evaluation<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

By Terance Madden \u00b7 Published November 6, 2026<\/p>\n\n

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The Short Answer: Six Months for Driver Logs and Supporting Documents<\/h2>\n

Under federal rules, a motor carrier must keep each driver’s records of duty status and supporting documents for at least six months from the date of receipt (federal log retention rule<\/a>). That is a floor, not a promise. The clock starts when the carrier receives the record, not automatically on the day of the crash.<\/p>\n

A common mistake is reading the rule as a promise that every log survives past six months. It sets a minimum and nothing more.<\/p>\n

A written preservation request asks the carrier to hold specific records beyond its routine schedule. Sending that request early matters because it puts the carrier on notice before routine deletion runs.<\/p>\n

Terance Madden has been in practice since 1999, and the firm represents people hurt in Georgia truck crashes. Our truck accident guide<\/a> explains the wider claim process.<\/p>\n\n

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Which Records Are Covered by the Six-Month Rule<\/h2>\n

The six-month rule covers records of duty status, including electronic logging device (ELD) data, and the supporting documents behind them.<\/p>\n

Federal rules require carriers operating commercial motor vehicles to install an ELD and require drivers to use it, but a carrier may instead require manual records for certain vehicles, such as those manufactured before model year 2000 (ELD duty status rule<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Supporting documents are the paper trail behind the log.<\/p>\n

Here is why that matters. A logged stop in one town can be compared with a fuel receipt or dispatch note from the same day. When the pieces don’t line up, reviewers have something concrete to examine.<\/p>\n

What Roadside Inspectors Can Request From the Driver<\/h2>\n

At a roadside inspection, the driver must make supporting documents in his or her possession available when an official asks. The same federal section sets that duty (supporting documents rule<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Except drivers for a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), the driver must submit the driver’s supporting documents to the driver’s employer. That is due within 13 days of the 24-hour period they cover, or the day the document comes into the driver’s possession, whichever is later.<\/p>\n

That timing creates a gap. A receipt in the driver’s cab may not be in the company’s file yet. A roadside request reaches any supporting document in the driver’s possession, while the carrier’s files show the supporting documents it has received and must keep.<\/p>\n

Keep the two ideas apart. A roadside check looks at what the driver has now. The carrier’s six-month duty covers what the company must hold after it receives the records.<\/p>\n

Maintenance, Inspection, and Post-Accident Testing Records<\/h2>\n

Each record type follows its own schedule. One deadline should not be assumed for all of them.<\/p>\n

Periodic inspection reports must be kept for fourteen months from the date of the report, and kept where the vehicle is housed or maintained (inspection report rule<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Post-accident testing is a separate rule. Those include crashes involving loss of human life, where the driver performing safety-sensitive functions with respect to the vehicle is tested, and crashes where a driver gets a citation within 8 hours for a moving violation tied to bodily injury needing immediate treatment away from the scene, or disabling damage needing a tow (post-accident testing rule<\/a>).<\/p>\n

If an alcohol test is not given within two hours, the employer must keep a record of why. After eight hours, it must stop trying. For controlled substances, the employer stops trying after 32 hours.<\/p>\n

Program records follow their own clocks. Negative drug test results must be kept for one year, while certain program records must be kept for five (testing records rule<\/a>).<\/p>\n

GPS, Dashcam, and Engine or Black Box Data<\/h2>\n

GPS records, dashboard camera footage, and engine or black box data are usually kept in the carrier’s own systems.<\/p>\n

Many of these systems record over older data on a set cycle. Once data is overwritten, it may be gone for good. A written preservation request asks the carrier to save it before that cycle runs.<\/p>\n

These sources matter because of what they can show. Speed, braking, and following distance are common questions in a truck crash. Engine data may also capture events near the time of a wreck.<\/p>\n

ELD data follows different rules. A carrier may not alter or erase the original hours-of-service information collected by an ELD (ELD records rule<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Why Routine Records Schedules Do Not End Litigation Duties<\/h2>\n

A routine deletion schedule may not be the last word once a claim is likely.<\/p>\n

When a crash may lead to a lawsuit, the other side’s records can become central to the case. Courts can respond when important evidence is lost. The response turns on what was lost, when the request was made, and what happened next.<\/p>\n

Whether a particular carrier had to hold a record beyond its schedule depends on the facts. That question is not answered by the six-month minimum alone.<\/p>\n

That is why written requests name specific records. A request listing logs, dispatch notes, inspection files, and camera or engine data gives the carrier clear notice of what to keep. Sending one is a routine step that protects the record, whatever happens next.<\/p>\n

Can Falsified Logs Be Part of a Truck Accident Claim?<\/h2>\n

Yes, inconsistent records can be examined in a truck crash claim.<\/p>\n

Federal rules bar false reports on duty status. A driver or carrier may not make a false report in connection with a duty status (duty status rule<\/a>). The same section bars tampering with an ELD so it does not accurately record and keep required data.<\/p>\n

Federal rules also bar a fraudulent or intentionally false entry on records a carrier must keep (false records rule<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The usual method is comparison. ELD time, fuel receipts, dispatch notes, and GPS data can be set side by side. Differences may raise questions about hours of service or driver fatigue. Those questions are topics for review, not conclusions.<\/p>\n

Whether any record can be used, and how much weight it gets, turns on the court’s rules and the full record.<\/p>\n

Georgia Timing and What to Gather Now<\/h2>\n

Legal deadlines apply to injury claims, so don’t wait.<\/p>\n

Gather what you can now. Keep the police report number, photos of the scene and vehicles, medical records and bills, and names of witnesses. Note the trucking company’s name as shown on the truck or paperwork.<\/p>\n

Records usually come through written requests and later formal discovery, the legal process for asking the other side for records. An early written preservation request keeps the carrier on notice before routine deletion runs.<\/p>\n

Our offices are in Jonesboro, Atlanta, Decatur, Macon and Augusta.<\/p>\n

Quick Answers<\/h3>\n
How long does a trucking company keep driver logs after a crash?<\/summary>

Federal rules require at least six months from the date the carrier receives the records.<\/p><\/details>

Does the six-month clock start on the crash date?<\/summary>

No. A motor carrier must keep these records for not less than 6 months from the date of receipt, under 49 C.F.R. \u00a7 395.8(k)(1)<\/a>.<\/p><\/details>

Can a trucking company erase ELD data after a truck accident?<\/summary>

Under 49 C.F.R. \u00a7 395.30(f)<\/a>, “A motor carrier must not alter or erase, or permit or require alteration or erasure of, the original information collected concerning the driver’s hours of service.”<\/p><\/details>\n\n

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Why Evidence Can Disappear Quickly<\/h2>\n

If a truck was involved in your crash, the logs, dispatch notes, and camera or engine data may be the first records to disappear on a routine schedule.<\/p>\n

Contact T. Madden & Associates, P.C.<\/a> to start a free case evaluation. Our team can review your crash and prepare a written preservation request for the carrier.<\/p>\n

The first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation to continue. The firm works on a no-fee-unless-we-win basis, but you may still be responsible for court costs and case expenses.<\/p>\n

Responsible lawyer: Terance Madden. Offices: Jonesboro, Atlanta, Decatur, Macon and Augusta, Georgia.<\/p>\n\n<\/article>\n