Commercial Truck Fires

Truckers are always trying to meet strict deadlines. Imagine trying to meet a deadline when all hell breaks loose, alarms are flashing on the dashboard and a fire breaks out in the cab. Semi-trucks are valued in excess $100,000 and can be destroyed by fire. The loss of cargo, truck and your income can be a frightening prospect. Truck fires are a huge expense to owners and drivers, often result in major out-of-pocket expenses from lost revenue, insurance deductibles cut in wages and even job losses. Recently, we were tasked to a commercial truck fire loss. The loss vehicle had undergone some major mechanical repairs and the fire occurred shortly after getting the truck back from the repairer. The vehicle was a specialized vehicle valued more than $350,000. When we examined the vehicle, we determined the fire originated in the engine compartment:

Upon closer scrutiny of the engine, we noted a missing clamp on the fuel delivery line.

This missing clamp caused the line to vibrate. We checked the torque on the connector and noticed it to be insecure, causing the flange to vibrate and become unseated which resulted in a fuel release. During our post examination interviews we were able to confirm this.

The result of our examination enabled our client to successfully recover their claim payout. Legal counsel on this file thanked us for our work and informed us, we had the gold standard in fire examinations. For more information on how we can assist you, please contact our office.