Rough settlement range for a commercial truck or 18-wheeler crash. Covers federal motor carrier rules, higher insurance limits, catastrophic injury patterns.
This uses our own server-side AI, not ChatGPT. Your conversation is encrypted at rest on our servers and auto-deleted within 30 days. A 2026 federal ruling held that sharing case details with consumer chatbots can waive attorney-client privilege, so we built this as the safe alternative. Learn more about using AI for your case.
Most injury settlement calculators online are multi-step forms built to capture your contact info and hand you off to a law firm. Ours works differently. You have a short, natural conversation with our private AI (not ChatGPT) that asks about your case, gathers the details that actually drive settlement value, and gives you a range based on what similar cases have resolved for. There is no signup, no email requirement, and nothing is sold or sent to attorneys. Your conversation is also encrypted at rest on our servers and auto-deleted within 30 days (so you can access estimate for one month via emailable link).
The calculator handles most personal injury case types: car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, pedestrian and bicycle incidents, slip and fall, medical malpractice, product liability, dog bites, nursing home abuse, wrongful death, workplace construction accidents, and premises liability.
Verify you are human, then click Start. A short, guided conversation follows (typically 2 to 4 minutes).
Not legal advice. This is not legal advice. The estimate is for general orientation only. For a real evaluation of your case, consult a personal injury attorney licensed in your state.
Commercial truck accidents (18-wheelers, semis, box trucks, delivery vehicles) typically produce larger settlements than car accidents for two reasons. First, the injuries tend to be catastrophic because of the size and weight disparity. Second, commercial trucking companies carry much higher insurance policy limits, often $750,000 to $5,000,000 or more, giving you more coverage to recover against.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules (hours of service, maintenance records, driver qualification) also create more avenues to prove negligence than in an ordinary car crash. This calculator factors in the commercial-trucking angle.
Q: Why are truck accident settlements so much larger?
Two reasons. First, injury severity: an 80,000-pound semi vs. a 4,000-pound car is an enormous mass mismatch, and injuries reflect that. Second, coverage: federal law requires commercial carriers to carry at least $750,000 in liability insurance, and most carry several million. Bigger policy = bigger settlement ceiling.
Q: Who is liable in a truck accident?
Multiple parties can be liable: the driver, the trucking company (vicarious liability), the truck owner if separate, a maintenance contractor, a cargo loader, or even the truck manufacturer if a defect contributed. Having multiple defendants can significantly increase the available pool of insurance coverage.
Q: What are hours-of-service rules and why do they matter?
Federal FMCSA rules limit how many hours a commercial driver can be on duty without mandatory rest breaks. A driver who violated these rules and was fatigued when the crash happened is presumptively negligent. Trucking company electronic logging device (ELD) records can prove or disprove compliance.
Q: Should I settle quickly with the trucking company's insurance?
No. Trucking company insurers are sophisticated and deploy rapid-response teams to minimize payouts. Their first offer is almost always a fraction of case value. Never sign anything without a realistic estimate of your case's worth and ideally without an attorney reviewing.
Q: How long does a truck accident case take to settle?
Longer than a typical car accident, usually 12 to 24 months, because catastrophic injuries require long treatment runs and defense counsel often fights harder on large-value cases. Cases that go to trial can take 2 to 4 years.
