1
Investigate
Vehicle registration (commercial plate confirms commercial use). Driver employment records (W-2 vs 1099). DOT number lookup if interstate. Telematics and GPS data — most commercial fleets track every second of operation. Maintenance logs, hours-of-service records. We send preservation letters to the company within 7 days.
2
Negotiate
Commercial carriers have specialized claim units (Travelers, Liberty Mutual, Sentry, Old Republic for trucking) that we know well. We negotiate against $1M-$5M+ policies — sometimes with excess umbrella from $5M to $25M for the largest carriers (FedEx, UPS, Amazon). Higher policy limits change the entire posture of negotiation.
3
Try
Commercial-vehicle cases play to juries — corporate defendants with deep pockets and well-known names. We coordinate with senior trial counsel under NY co-counsel rules where the case demands. Discovery of internal safety records, driver-disciplinary history, and prior similar incidents can dramatically elevate case value.