Glendale Truck Accident Lawyer

How Much Truck Traffic Moves Through Glendale

Glendale sits where three state highways meet: the Ventura Freeway (SR-134), the Glendale Freeway (SR-2) and, along the city’s western edge, the Golden State Freeway (I-5). Caltrans publishes a truck traffic table for every state highway, and its 2024 edition shows how different these roads are. Some rows in that table carry forward counts taken in earlier years, so the figures below are approximate daily volumes.

At the junction of the 134 and the 2 inside Glendale, Caltrans lists about 174,000 vehicles a day on the 134, with roughly 7,500 of them trucks. Where the 5 meets the 134, just past Glendale’s western edge, the count is much heavier: between about 223,000 and 243,000 vehicles a day, close to 15,000 to 15,500 of them trucks, and well over half of those trucks are five-axle rigs. The 2 carries far less freight; at its junction with the 134 the table shows somewhere between 1,200 and 2,800 trucks a day, with the two sides of the junction counted separately.

Those numbers matter in a claim because they help explain the setting. A big rig merging from the 5 onto the 134 is sharing a short interchange with commuters who are changing lanes in both directions, and the driver’s speed, following distance and mirror checks all come under the microscope.

Glendale’s Truck Route Rule

Glendale does not let heavy trucks wander through any neighborhood they like. Section 10.64.110 of the Glendale Municipal Code limits heavy trucks to the city’s signed truck routes, with limited exceptions such as a delivery off the route.

That rule can become evidence. If a loaded truck cut through a residential street to save a few minutes and hit someone there, the violation of a city safety ordinance can support a presumption of negligence under California Evidence Code section 669, as long as the injury is the kind of harm the ordinance was meant to prevent. Proving it takes the truck’s GPS history, the dispatcher’s instructions and the route signs that were posted on the day of the crash, so those records get requested early.

Getting the Report and Saving the Truck’s Records

Who wrote the report depends on where the crash happened. On Glendale city streets it is usually the Glendale Police Department. The department says to wait at least seven days before looking for a report online through LexisNexis eCrash, and it sells copies at the Records Bureau counter for $24. Reports that involve a criminal investigation, such as a hit and run or a fatal collision, can take longer and may not appear online at all.

Freeway collisions are generally handled by the California Highway Patrol. An involved driver, passenger or vehicle owner can request a CHP report with form CHP 190, either in person or by mail, without going back to the office that took the report.

The truck’s own records are a separate problem. Federal rules require a motor carrier to keep a driver’s hours-of-service records and supporting documents for at least six months. Engine control module data and dash camera video can be lost much sooner if no one asks for them. A written preservation demand to the carrier, sent in the first days, is what keeps that material available.

If you can, photograph both sides of the truck before it is towed. Federal rules require the carrier’s name and USDOT number to appear on both sides of the power unit, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER Company Snapshot lets anyone look up that number for free. The snapshot shows the carrier’s safety rating, if it has one, a summary of roadside inspections that put vehicles or drivers out of service, and reported crashes. A long out-of-service history can point toward maintenance or hiring problems worth investigating.

Insurance on a Commercial Truck

Federal law sets a floor for how much liability insurance an interstate trucking company must carry. Under 49 CFR 387.9, a for-hire carrier hauling ordinary freight in a vehicle rated at 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000. Some hazardous loads require $5,000,000. These are minimums, not case values, and many carriers carry more.

There can also be more than one company involved. The driver’s employer, the owner of the tractor, the owner of the trailer, a broker that arranged the load and a shop that last worked on the brakes can each have separate coverage. Sorting out who was responsible for what is most of the work in the first months of a Glendale truck claim.

Where a Glendale Truck Case Is Filed

The Los Angeles Superior Court’s Local Rule 2.3 requires every unlimited personal injury case to be filed in the court district where the incident happened. Glendale is in the North Central District, which has two courthouses: one on East Broadway in Glendale and one on East Olive Avenue in Burbank.

The court’s own courthouse directory lists the Glendale Courthouse civil office as handling unlimited civil cases “excluding Personal Injury PI cases.” The other North Central courthouse, in Burbank at 300 East Olive Avenue, lists a civil clerk’s office in the same directory. Before any complaint is filed, the crash address is run through the court’s filing locator to confirm the correct courthouse, because a crash near a district boundary can land somewhere else.

Trauma Care Near Glendale

Los Angeles County’s Emergency Medical Services Agency designates the trauma centers that paramedics take the most seriously injured patients to. Designated centers within reach of Glendale include Huntington Hospital in Pasadena and Los Angeles General Medical Center near downtown. Records from the ambulance, the trauma bay and every follow-up provider become the backbone of the damages side of a truck case, so it helps to keep every discharge paper and bill from the first day.

Deadlines That Apply in Glendale

California generally gives an injured person two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit for personal injury or wrongful death, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public agency is involved, for example a city-owned truck or a dangerous road condition on a state highway, a written claim has to be presented to that agency within six months under Government Code section 911.2. That six-month claim comes before any lawsuit, and missing it can end the case against the agency.

Talking With Saeedian Law Group

Most Glendale clients start with a phone call, and later meetings can happen over video, at your home or at the firm’s Beverly Hills office, 9100 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500W. There is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery in your case. The consultation is free; the number is (310) 288-3000.

For the statewide rules, see our California truck accident lawyer page. If your crash involved a passenger car, a motorcycle or the loss of a family member, our pages for a Glendale car accident lawyer, a Glendale motorcycle accident lawyer and a Glendale wrongful death lawyer cover those claims. Truck crashes just outside the city are covered on our pages for Burbank, Pasadena and Los Angeles.

Call (310) 288-3000 Free Consultation

Frequently Asked Questions

Who writes the police report for a truck collision on the 134 or the 5 near Glendale?

Crashes on the freeways are generally handled by the California Highway Patrol, while crashes on city streets such as Brand Boulevard or San Fernando Road are usually handled by the Glendale Police Department. The report number you were given at the scene tells you which agency wrote it. For a CHP report, an involved driver, passenger or owner can use form CHP 190. For a Glendale police report, the department suggests waiting at least seven days and then checking LexisNexis eCrash, or buying a copy at the Records Bureau counter.

Can the trucking company be responsible even if the driver was the one who crashed?

The company is often responsible alongside the driver. An employer is generally responsible for the negligence of an employee driving within the scope of the job. The company can also face its own claims, for example for hiring a driver with a poor safety record or pushing a schedule that broke federal hours-of-service limits. Other businesses can share responsibility too, including the owner of a leased trailer or a repair shop that did faulty brake work. Their policies are separate, so lease agreements, titles and dispatch records are gathered early to see whose coverage applies.

What happens if the truck was driving on a residential street in Glendale?

Glendale Municipal Code section 10.64.110 limits heavy trucks to signed truck routes, with limited exceptions such as deliveries. If the truck was off route without a delivery reason, that violation can support a presumption of negligence under Evidence Code section 669. The presumption is not automatic. The injured person still has to show the violation helped cause the crash and that the ordinance was meant to prevent this kind of harm. GPS data, delivery manifests and the posted signs are the usual proof.

How long does a trucking company have to keep its driver logs?

Federal regulation 49 CFR 395.8 requires a motor carrier to keep records of duty status and supporting documents for at least six months. Other evidence has no such guarantee. Once the truck goes back into service, its engine computer keeps logging new trips, and many camera systems loop over older video. A preservation letter sent soon after the crash puts the carrier on notice that it must keep these materials, and losing them after notice can lead to court sanctions.

How much insurance does a commercial truck carry?

For an interstate for-hire carrier hauling non-hazardous freight in a vehicle rated at 10,001 pounds or more, the federal minimum under 49 CFR 387.9 is $750,000 in public liability coverage. Some hazardous materials require $5,000,000. Many carriers buy more than the minimum, and other parties connected to the load may have their own policies. These are coverage limits, not a prediction of what any case is worth. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. The carrier’s name and USDOT number, painted on both sides of the cab, lead to its filings and its SAFER snapshot.

Which courthouse hears a truck injury lawsuit from Glendale?

Under Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 2.3, an unlimited civil personal injury lawsuit must be filed in the district where the crash happened, and Glendale falls in the North Central District. The court’s directory says the Glendale Courthouse civil office does not take personal injury cases. The district’s other courthouse, in Burbank at 300 East Olive Avenue, lists a civil clerk’s office. Because district lines do not always follow city limits, the exact crash location is checked against the court’s filing locator first.

What is the deadline if a city or state vehicle was involved in the Glendale crash?

When a public entity is involved, Government Code section 911.2 requires a written claim to be presented within six months of the injury. A crash with a city-owned truck goes to the City of Glendale, and a claim about a state highway defect goes to the state. Only after the claim is denied, or deemed denied, can a lawsuit be filed. Contracted transit operators can raise separate questions, so the vehicle owner is confirmed first. Against private parties such as a trucking company, the general deadline is two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1.

Is there a lower speed limit for semi trucks on the 134 and the 5 through Glendale?

Yes. California Vehicle Code section 22406 caps a truck tractor pulling a trailer, or any motortruck with three or more axles, at 55 miles per hour on a highway. That limit holds on the Ventura Freeway and the Golden State Freeway even where cars may go faster. A related rule, Vehicle Code section 21655, keeps those big rigs in signed truck lanes or, where none are posted, in the right-hand lane. On a divided freeway with four or more lanes in one direction, they may also use the lane just to its left. The lane rule relaxes for a driver entering or leaving the freeway, or one who has to move over to stay on route, and that comes up often where the 5 meets the 134. For a rig clocked at 65 in the far left lane, the engine computer may hold the speed data.

Can a big rig driver be at fault for driving too many hours before a crash in Glendale?

Yes, and the limits are specific. Federal rule 49 CFR 395.3 says a driver of a property-carrying truck needs 10 consecutive hours off duty before a shift. After that the driver may drive up to 11 hours, and cannot drive at all past the 14th hour after coming on duty. Once the driver has 8 hours of driving behind him, he needs a 30-minute break before driving again, unless a short-haul exception applies. A weekly cap also applies: 60 hours on duty in 7 days, or 70 hours in 8 days if the carrier runs trucks every day. Logs alone do not settle it. For a rig that came into Glendale on the 5 or the 134, the hours are checked against fuel receipts, GPS history and delivery times to see whether the numbers line up.

Will the truck driver be tested for drugs and alcohol after a Glendale truck accident?

Not after every crash. Under 49 CFR 382.303, the employer must test a surviving driver for alcohol and drugs when the collision killed someone. Testing is also required if the truck driver is cited for a moving violation arising from the crash and either a person was taken for treatment away from the scene or a vehicle had to be towed with disabling damage. For the alcohol test, the citation must come within 8 hours. For the drug test, the window is 32 hours. If the alcohol test is not done within 2 hours, the carrier has to write down why, and after 8 hours it must stop trying. So a ticket from Glendale police or the CHP can decide whether any test happens at all. The results, or the carrier’s written reason for missing them, get requested along with the driver file.

Which CHP office handles a truck crash on the Glendale Freeway or the 134?

The CHP’s Southern Division headquarters sits at 411 N. Central Avenue in Glendale, but the CHP describes it as an administrative office that is not open to the public. Report requests have to go through an Area office instead. For the freeways around Glendale, the Altadena Area office at 2130 Windsor Avenue in Altadena lists State Route 134, along with portions of State Route 2 and Interstate 5, among the roads its officers patrol. Its phone number is (626) 646-0500. A crash on the 5 may belong to a different Area depending on the exact spot. The report number and officer name you got at the scene settle that question fastest. Whichever office wrote it, the request still goes on form CHP 190.

Are the hospitals in Glendale trauma centers if a truck crash leaves me badly hurt?

No. Adventist Health Glendale and Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital are not designated trauma centers. The Los Angeles County EMS Agency’s Trauma Center Umbrella Facilities Directory, effective April 1, 2025, places both of them under Los Angeles General Medical Center. USC Verdugo Hills Hospital appears in the same directory under Huntington Hospital. Each Glendale hospital still runs an emergency room, and many truck crash patients are treated there first. When a patient starts at one of them and is later moved to a trauma center, the file grows: two hospital charts, the transfer records and often a second ambulance run. A claim for serious injuries needs every piece, so ask each facility for your complete records, not just the discharge summary.

About the Author

Michael Saeedian, Esq., Founding Attorney, Saeedian Law Group (California State Bar #265470). Michael opened Saeedian Law Group in 2009 and has spent more than 16 years standing up for injured Californians and their families in personal injury and wrongful death cases statewide. His work covers truck accident matters across Los Angeles County.

Legal disclaimer: This page provides general information about California injury law and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is different; past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship with Saeedian Law Group. For advice specific to your situation, contact our office at (310) 288-3000 or schedule a free consultation.