Trucks and commercial vehicles
Odessa oilfield truck accident lawyer.
Oilfield trucks run long hours on two lane highways and caliche lease roads, often loaded heavy and driven by people at the end of a long shift. When one hits you, there is rarely just one company involved: the trucking company, the operator who owns the well, the contractor who hired the hauler and sometimes a broker. Each one points at the others. From our Odessa office on Diego Road we find all of them, preserve the truck data, and build the claim in English or Spanish.
Right now
If an oilfield truck just hit you.
- 01
Get medical care today
Go to Medical Center Hospital, Odessa Regional, Midland Memorial or the nearest ER, even if you feel fine. Tell them a loaded commercial truck hit you.
- 02
Photograph the truck and the location
The company name on the door, the USDOT number, the trailer or tank number, the plates and what it was hauling. On a lease road, note the nearest well sign, gate or mile marker, since there may be no street address.
- 03
Make sure the right agency writes a report
Outside town, crashes are usually worked by DPS troopers or the sheriff's office. Write down the agency, the officer's name and the case number for the crash report (CR-3).
- 04
Do not talk to the company's adjuster or safety rep
Oilfield companies often send a safety representative to the scene. You do not have to give a statement or sign anything. Be polite and say your lawyer will contact them.
- 05
Call our Odessa office
The truck's black box, the driver's logs and dispatch records can be lost quickly. Call 432-315-3392. The first consultation is free, in English or Spanish.
Key deadlines and numbers
- Deadline to sue
- 2 years from the crashSource: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003
- Driving limit for interstate truck drivers
- 11 hours of driving inside a 14 hour window, with narrow oilfield exceptionsSource: 49 C.F.R. 395.3, 395.1(d)
- Federal minimum insurance, interstate hauler
- $750,000 general freight, $1 million for oil, $5 million for many hazardous loadsSource: 49 C.F.R. 387.9
- If you are partly at fault
- You can recover if you are 50% or less at fault, reduced by your shareSource: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 33.001
- Where you can file
- Usually the county where the crash happened, or where a company is basedSource: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 15.002
Texas law
Why oilfield truck cases are different.
The basic claim is negligence, the same as any crash. What makes oilfield cases harder is the number of companies, the contracts between them, and federal rules that carve out a few exceptions for oilfield work. Sorting out who controlled the truck and the schedule is usually the center of the case.
| Who | Why they may share responsibility |
|---|---|
| The driver and the trucking company | Fatigue, speed, overweight loads, skipped inspections, pressure to make more runs. |
| The operator or contractor who hired the hauler | Schedules, site rules and choosing an unsafe carrier. |
| A broker | May be responsible if it controlled the load or carelessly picked the carrier. |
| A company pickup's employer | Crew trucks and company pickups on lease roads: the employer can answer for a driver on the job. |
| Owner of the truck or trailer | Leased equipment, bad brakes, worn tires, failed lights. |
Oilfield exceptions are narrow
Federal hours rules give some oilfield drivers a shorter restart and, for certain specially built rigs, let waiting time at a well site count differently. Those exceptions have conditions. A company stretching them is a common source of tired drivers.
Source: 49 C.F.R. 395.1(d)Contracts between companies shape who pays
Oilfield companies sign master service agreements that shift liability and insurance among themselves. Texas limits many of those indemnity clauses. They do not take away your claim, but they decide which insurer ends up writing the check.
Source: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code ch. 127Crew transport counts as work
When a company pays or directs a worker to drive a crew to and from a well site, the company may be responsible for that driving. Texas courts look at whether the company had the right to control the trip.
Out of state companies and federal court
Many haulers come from out of state and may move a case to federal court in Midland. Mr. Estrada is admitted in the Western District of Texas, which covers the Midland-Odessa division.
How we work
How we build an oilfield truck case.
Mr. Estrada reads your file and sets the strategy. Our Odessa and Dallas team works the details with him, and you get updates in English or Spanish.
01
Preserve the truck and its data
Preservation letters for the engine control module, electronic logs, GPS and dispatch records, dashcam video, load tickets and scale tickets, and the truck itself.
02
Map every company on the job
Who operated the well, who hired the hauler, who owned the truck and trailer, and whether a broker was involved. We request the contracts that connect them.
03
Check hours, weight and maintenance
Driver logs against fuel, gate and well site records, load weights against the truck's limits, and inspection and brake records.
04
Reconstruct the crash
Dust, glare, dark highways and lease road intersections matter. When the case calls for it, accident reconstructionists use the data and the scene to show what happened.
05
Value the whole loss, and file when needed
With your doctors, life care planners and economists for serious injuries. When the companies will not pay what the case is worth, we file in the right court and prepare for trial.
Who handles it
The lawyer on the sign is the lawyer on your case.
Mr. Estrada has practiced in Texas since 2003, in state court and in the Northern, Eastern and Western federal districts of Texas. He reads the file and sets the strategy, with associates and staff who work the case alongside him. Everything is explained to you in English or Spanish.
What clients say
“Olegario firm made me feel like I was at home. As soon as I walked in the receptionist was very kind and professional.”Questions people ask us about money and work.
- I work in the oilfield and was on the job
- You may have a workers' comp claim, or a claim against an employer without comp, plus a separate claim against another company whose truck hit you. The order of those claims matters.
- Who pays my medical bills right now?
- Your PIP, health insurance, workers' comp if it applies, or a doctor who agrees to wait for the case. We help line it up so treatment does not stop.
- I live in another state or in Mexico
- Many people come to the Permian Basin to work. If the crash happened here, the claim can be handled here, and we can work with you by phone and video.
- Do I need papers to make a claim?
- If someone else caused the crash, you can make a claim. Talk to us privately. What you tell us stays between you and the firm.
Dallas and Odessa
Permian Basin roads we know.
Our Odessa office at 2860 Diego Road handles crashes on I-20, SH-191 between Odessa and Midland, SH-302 toward Kermit, US-385 toward Andrews and Crane, and the farm to market and lease roads of Ector, Midland, Andrews, Winkler, Ward and Crane counties. These roads carry sand haulers, water and frac trucks, crude haulers and crew pickups day and night, often with dust, glare and long dark stretches between towns.
FAQ
Questions people ask.
A sand hauler or frac truck hit me. Who is responsible?
Possibly the driver, the trucking company, the company that hired the hauler and the owner of the equipment. Contracts between oilfield companies can shift who pays. We sort out every company and every policy.
The crash happened on a lease road. Does that change anything?
It can. Private lease roads may not get a full police report, and the property owner or operator may have its own duties. Photos, GPS data and witness names become even more important.
A company pickup with a crew ran into me. Is the company liable?
It may be, if the driver was doing the company's work, including driving the crew to or from the site when the company directed or paid for that trip. The facts of the job matter, so bring whatever you know about who they work for.
How long do I have to file?
Generally two years from the crash, and two years from the date of death in a wrongful death case. The truck's electronic data can be gone in weeks, so do not wait for the deadline.
Do I have to come to Odessa to meet with you?
No. You can meet us at the Odessa office on Diego Road, at our Oak Cliff office in Dallas, or by phone or video. For people in the hospital, we can arrange to talk with you or your family there.
How much does it cost to hire you?
The first consultation is free. Injury cases are handled on a contingency fee, which means the fee comes out of the recovery, not out of your pocket. We explain the exact terms, including case costs, before you sign.
Related situations
- 18 wheeler and truck accidents
- Oilfield injuries
- Workplace injuries
- Wrongful death
- Catastrophic injuries
- Burn injuries
- All: Personal Injury
Updated October 2026
This page is general information about Texas law, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney client relationship. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a future outcome.
Two offices
Oak Cliff and Odessa.
Mon to Fri 9 to 5, Sat 9 to 12. Emergencies 24/7 by phone.
Law Office of Olegario Estrada, P.C.
We explain everything.We answer 24/7.Se habla español.
Free consultation by phone, video, or in person. Offices in Dallas and Odessa.