Trucking & Legal Glossary

Plain-English definitions for the legal and regulatory terms that matter in South Texas truck accident cases.

C

CSA Score

Compliance, Safety, Accountability score — the FMCSA's system for ranking motor carriers on seven safety categories called BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories): Unsafe Driving,… Full definition →

E

ELD

Electronic Logging Device — a federally mandated device, required since December 2017 under 49 CFR Part 395, that automatically records a commercial truck driver's hours of service by connecting to th… Full definition →

N

Negligence Per Se

A legal doctrine under Texas common law that establishes negligence as a matter of law when a defendant violates a statute or regulation enacted to protect a class of people from a specific type of ha… Full definition →

O

OOS Rate

Out-of-service rate — the percentage of FMCSA roadside inspections that result in an out-of-service order, meaning a vehicle or driver was found to have a violation serious enough to prohibit continue… Full definition →

S

Spoliation

The destruction, alteration, or failure to preserve evidence that is relevant to foreseeable litigation. In truck accident cases, spoliation most commonly refers to a carrier's failure to retain ELD r… Full definition →

§

§72.051

Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 72.051 — the Texas Trucking Liability Act, enacted by House Bill 19 and effective September 1, 2021. The Act restructures truck accident litigation in Texas, m… Full definition →