Published 2026-11-09

Truck Accident Checklist: The First 30 Minutes for Driver and Dispatcher

TL;DR: The first half hour after a truck accident decides whether the claim can later be settled without anyone chasing information. The driver secures the scene, helps anyone injured, photographs the final positions, the damage and the road, and fills in the European accident report with the other driver. Meanwhile the dispatcher deals with the vehicle, the load and the customer, and makes sure photos and data reach the office while the driver is still at the scene. The checklist below works as a starting point for the accident instructions kept in the cab. Legal references are to German rules; check local requirements for every country your trucks drive in.

Minutes 0 to 5: stop, secure, help

In Germany the duties after an accident are set out in § 34 StVO, the road traffic regulations: stop immediately, secure the traffic, deal with the consequences of the accident and help anyone injured. If the damage is minor, the road has to be cleared quickly. Leaving before the other party could establish who was involved can be a criminal offence (§ 142 StGB, leaving the scene of an accident).

For an articulated truck that means hazard lights on, a high-visibility vest on before the driver steps out, and the warning triangle placed well back. On fast roads § 15 StVO gives about 100 metres. If anyone is hurt, the driver calls 112 straight away. Dangerous goods add the ADR instructions in writing carried in the cab, and leaking fuel or other fluids belong in the emergency call.

When the driver should call the police

Germany has no general duty to call the police for every accident with property damage only. If the parties agree and exchange details, that is often enough legally. For a commercial truck, though, the police are worth calling in more cases than most drivers assume. Other countries can be stricter. Your accident instructions should state the rules for the countries on your routes, agreed with your insurer.

The photos nobody can take later

Traces of the accident must not be removed before the necessary findings have been made (§ 34 (3) StVO). At the same time, the road has to be cleared quickly when the damage is minor. So the final positions of the vehicles need to be photographed before anyone moves them. Every accident photo set should include:

• Final positions: both vehicles from at least four directions, with the road and lane markings in frame.
• Damage: every damaged area once from a distance, so it can be placed on the vehicle, and once close up.
• Traces: skid marks, debris, fluids and scrapes on the road, before traffic or a broom removes them.
• Surroundings: traffic signs, signals, anything blocking the view, roadworks, weather and road surface.
• Registration plates: the other party's tractor and trailer, including the country code for foreign vehicles.
• Your own vehicle: odometer, VIN plate and, where relevant, the load and how it was secured.
• Accident report: both sides of the completed form before the copies are separated.

The European accident report: at the scene, not the next day

The European accident report exists for two drivers who share no language. The fields are laid out and numbered the same way in every language version, so a Polish driver and a German driver fill in the same boxes. The form itself states that it is not an admission of liability but a record of identities and circumstances, which makes drivers more willing to sign it.

Fill it in at the scene while both parties are there. A report the driver completes alone in the evening carries no signature from the other side. Verbal admissions of fault have no place here either, since liability is for the insurers to settle. Agree the exact wording for your driver training with your insurer.

What the dispatcher does in the same 30 minutes

The driver's call is often the office's first contact with the accident. A good call starts with safety and leaves the question of fault for later. Then the dispatcher works through these points:

• Situation: Is anyone injured, is the truck standing safely, have the police been called if they are needed?
• Vehicle: Under § 31 StVZO the vehicle keeper must not allow a truck to operate if it no longer complies with the rules. When in doubt, call breakdown service or a workshop rather than continue.
• Load and customer: sort out the delivery slot, reloading or a replacement vehicle, and tell the consignee.
• Documentation: send the photo request while the driver is still at the scene. An hour later the truck is in a lay-by and the traces are gone.
• Reporting: notify the claims team or insurer as your accident instructions specify. Deadlines and the required form are in your policy terms.

What the office needs before the driver moves on

If any of these is missing, someone will ask for it later: the insurer, the assessor or the other side's lawyer. By then the driver is hard to reach and the photos cannot be retaken.

Where TraxAgent fits into those 30 minutes

The hardest part of this checklist is documentation by a stressed driver, often in their second or third language. TraxAgent sends the driver an SMS link as soon as the case exists in the system. The driver opens it on their own phone without installing an app and picks their language; the chat runs in 26+ languages. A guided photo walkaround asks for the shots needed for the damaged part of the vehicle, AI checks every photo on the spot, the VIN and odometer are read by OCR, and a walkaround video closes the sequence. It works in the evening and at weekends too, when nobody in the office picks up the phone.

Emergency call, police and accident report stay with the driver. The office receives one complete case with the photos, the vehicle data and the driver's account. TraxAgent was built in collaboration with TraXpert, a market leader in truck damage assessment.

• How multilingual drivers report damage in their own language
• Damage reporting in the evening and at weekends

Frequently asked questions