Preservation matrixSource review July 16, 2026

Oklahoma Truck Crash Evidence Matrix

A custodian-by-custodian map for finding evidence, protecting short-lived data, and separating records that must be retained from material that only may exist.

The practical point

The carrier is only one custodian. A serious investigation identifies the vehicle, vendors, broker, shipper, agencies, medical providers, insurer, and every system with an overwrite clock.

Evidence categories

3 months

Shortest federal period shown

Many

Independent custodians

Printable working tool

Print the matrix, mark the likely custodians, and tailor each preservation request to the actual crash.

Before the matrix

Five first moves

Preservation and production are different jobs. A notice can identify evidence at risk; it does not create subpoena power or a right to inspect.

1Identify the tractor, trailer, vehicle identification numbers, carrier, driver, owner, lessor, broker, shipper, insurer, tow yard, and investigating agency.
2Send separate, custodian-specific preservation notices. One letter to the carrier will not reliably reach everyone who controls evidence.
3Describe native data, account records, audit history, clock settings, and overwrite processes—not just printed reports or screenshots.
4Arrange an inspection protocol before repair, download, destructive testing, sale, or salvage changes the vehicle or component evidence.
5Track the shortest known retention periods first: driver inspection reports, logs, supporting records, video, and vendor-held event data.

Carrier-controlled records

Start with records the carrier is required to keep

These rules identify a record category and a retention period. They do not guarantee that a compliant or complete record will be produced without the proper request or process.

Truck crash evidence by custodian, purpose, retention risk, and first preservation step
Evidence	Likely holder	What it may show	Retention / loss risk	First preservation step
Retention rule Accident register and required government or insurer reports 49 C.F.R. § 390.15	Motor carrier; insurer; safety department	Prior reportable crashes, carrier notice, basic circumstances, and recurring driver or vehicle issues.	Federal retention period: 3 years.	Preserve the register entry and required reports. Separately identify and request photographs, diagrams, statements, and other claim or investigation material without calling all of it federally required.
Retention rule Electronic logging device data and records of duty status 49 C.F.R. § 395.8(k)49 C.F.R. § 395.22(i)49 C.F.R. § 395.30(f)49 C.F.R. § 395.32(c)	Carrier; electronic logging device vendor	Driving time, duty status, edits, unidentified driving, and possible hours-of-service violations.	Federal retention floor: 6 months.	Request native exports, edit and audit history, unidentified-driving records, account mapping, backups, and time-zone settings.
Retention rule Hours-of-service supporting documents 49 C.F.R. § 395.11	Carrier; dispatch, fuel, toll, payroll, or fleet vendor	Corroboration or contradiction of logs, trip sequence, dispatch timing, location, and compensation.	Federal retention floor: 6 months for required supporting documents.	Preserve dispatch records, trip itineraries, receipts, bills, fleet communications, payroll, and settlement sheets.
Retention rule Driver qualification file 49 C.F.R. § 391.51	Carrier; licensing and medical sources may hold separate records	Licensing, driving history, application statements, road testing, medical qualification, and annual review.	Core file: employment plus 3 years; some annual records may be removed after 3 years.	Identify the complete file, removed-file index, motor-vehicle reports, medical certification, and road-test material.
Retention rule Entry-level driver training records 49 C.F.R. § 380.725	Registered training provider; carrier if it provided training	Required theory and behind-the-wheel instruction, instructor identity, scores, and completion.	Training-provider retention floor: 3 years.	Identify the provider and preserve curriculum, instructor, score, completion, and submission records.
Retention rule Inspection, maintenance, and repair records 49 C.F.R. § 396.3	Carrier; lessor; fleet vendor; repair facility	Known defects, recurring fault codes, overdue work, repair decisions, and vehicle condition.	Generally 1 year while controlled, then 6 months after control ends.	Preserve work orders, invoices, technician notes, diagnostic files, parts records, and maintenance schedules.
Retention rule Driver vehicle inspection reports and repair certification 49 C.F.R. § 396.11	Carrier; intermodal-equipment provider where applicable	Reported safety defects and whether repair or correction was certified.	Federal retention period: 3 months for required reports.	Move quickly. Ask for the report, defect notice, repair certification, and dispatch decision. A no-defect report is not required for every property-carrier trip.
Retention rule Roadside and annual inspection reports 49 C.F.R. § 396.9 49 C.F.R. § 396.21	Carrier; inspecting agency; inspection provider	Out-of-service conditions, brake, tire, lighting, and recurring inspection violations.	Roadside report: 12 months. Annual report: 14 months.	Preserve the report, inspection images, repair response, certification, and underlying annual-inspection worksheet.
Retention rule Post-accident drug and alcohol testing records 49 C.F.R. § 382.303 49 C.F.R. § 382.401	Employer; consortium; collection site; medical review officer; laboratory	Whether testing was required, timely performed, refused, negative, or positive.	Retention varies from 1 to 5 years. Testing is not required after every crash.	Preserve the testing decision, citation and crash criteria, timing log, results, refusal evidence, and explanation for any delay or non-test.

Retention rule

Accident register and required government or insurer reports

Likely holder: Motor carrier; insurer; safety department
What it may show: Prior reportable crashes, carrier notice, basic circumstances, and recurring driver or vehicle issues.
Retention / loss risk: Federal retention period: 3 years.
First preservation step: Preserve the register entry and required reports. Separately identify and request photographs, diagrams, statements, and other claim or investigation material without calling all of it federally required.

49 C.F.R. § 390.15

Retention rule

Electronic logging device data and records of duty status

Likely holder: Carrier; electronic logging device vendor
What it may show: Driving time, duty status, edits, unidentified driving, and possible hours-of-service violations.
Retention / loss risk: Federal retention floor: 6 months.
First preservation step: Request native exports, edit and audit history, unidentified-driving records, account mapping, backups, and time-zone settings.

49 C.F.R. § 395.8(k)49 C.F.R. § 395.22(i)49 C.F.R. § 395.30(f)49 C.F.R. § 395.32(c)

Retention rule

Hours-of-service supporting documents

Likely holder: Carrier; dispatch, fuel, toll, payroll, or fleet vendor
What it may show: Corroboration or contradiction of logs, trip sequence, dispatch timing, location, and compensation.
Retention / loss risk: Federal retention floor: 6 months for required supporting documents.
First preservation step: Preserve dispatch records, trip itineraries, receipts, bills, fleet communications, payroll, and settlement sheets.

49 C.F.R. § 395.11

Retention rule

Driver qualification file

Likely holder: Carrier; licensing and medical sources may hold separate records
What it may show: Licensing, driving history, application statements, road testing, medical qualification, and annual review.
Retention / loss risk: Core file: employment plus 3 years; some annual records may be removed after 3 years.
First preservation step: Identify the complete file, removed-file index, motor-vehicle reports, medical certification, and road-test material.

49 C.F.R. § 391.51

Retention rule

Entry-level driver training records

Likely holder: Registered training provider; carrier if it provided training
What it may show: Required theory and behind-the-wheel instruction, instructor identity, scores, and completion.
Retention / loss risk: Training-provider retention floor: 3 years.
First preservation step: Identify the provider and preserve curriculum, instructor, score, completion, and submission records.

49 C.F.R. § 380.725

Retention rule

Inspection, maintenance, and repair records

Likely holder: Carrier; lessor; fleet vendor; repair facility
What it may show: Known defects, recurring fault codes, overdue work, repair decisions, and vehicle condition.
Retention / loss risk: Generally 1 year while controlled, then 6 months after control ends.
First preservation step: Preserve work orders, invoices, technician notes, diagnostic files, parts records, and maintenance schedules.

49 C.F.R. § 396.3

Retention rule

Driver vehicle inspection reports and repair certification

Likely holder: Carrier; intermodal-equipment provider where applicable
What it may show: Reported safety defects and whether repair or correction was certified.
Retention / loss risk: Federal retention period: 3 months for required reports.
First preservation step: Move quickly. Ask for the report, defect notice, repair certification, and dispatch decision. A no-defect report is not required for every property-carrier trip.

49 C.F.R. § 396.11

Retention rule

Roadside and annual inspection reports

Likely holder: Carrier; inspecting agency; inspection provider
What it may show: Out-of-service conditions, brake, tire, lighting, and recurring inspection violations.
Retention / loss risk: Roadside report: 12 months. Annual report: 14 months.
First preservation step: Preserve the report, inspection images, repair response, certification, and underlying annual-inspection worksheet.

49 C.F.R. § 396.9 49 C.F.R. § 396.21

Retention rule

Post-accident drug and alcohol testing records

Likely holder: Employer; consortium; collection site; medical review officer; laboratory
What it may show: Whether testing was required, timely performed, refused, negative, or positive.
Retention / loss risk: Retention varies from 1 to 5 years. Testing is not required after every crash.
First preservation step: Preserve the testing decision, citation and crash criteria, timing log, results, refusal evidence, and explanation for any delay or non-test.

49 C.F.R. § 382.303 49 C.F.R. § 382.401

Vehicle, cargo, and digital evidence

Freeze evidence that can change, overwrite, or disappear

Availability is system-specific. Identify the tractor, trailer, modules, vendors, accounts, and clock settings before assuming what the equipment recorded.

Truck crash evidence by custodian, purpose, retention risk, and first preservation step
Evidence	Likely holder	What it may show	Retention / loss risk	First preservation step
May exist Tractor, trailer, tires, brakes, lamps, coupling, and damaged components	Owner; carrier; lessor; insurer; tow, repair, or salvage facility	Physical condition, mechanical failure, collision geometry, securement, and post-crash alteration.	Very high repair, movement, sale, or disposal risk; no universal federal hold period.	Issue a vehicle-specific hold and arrange a documented inspection before repair, download, destructive testing, sale, or salvage.
May exist Engine module, advanced-driver-assistance, camera, and telematics data Heavy trucks are outside 49 C.F.R. Part 563's light-vehicle scope	Carrier; owner; manufacturer; camera or telematics vendor; insurer	Depending on the system: speed, braking, throttle, cruise control, fault codes, location, event timing, and video.	High overwrite or alteration risk from key cycles, repair, power loss, download, or vendor purge.	Preserve the vehicle and native vendor data. Record module identity, software, clock settings, extraction method, and chain of custody.
May exist Cargo, weight, loading, seal, and securement material 49 C.F.R. § 392.9 49 C.F.R. § 393.100	Shipper; loader; warehouse; carrier; broker; driver; consignee; scale operator	Weight and distribution, sealed-load status, shifting, securement, and who controlled loading.	No universal retention period for loading video, photographs, scale tickets, or diagrams.	Preserve bills of lading, rate and load documents, seal records, scale tickets, dock video, photographs, and communications by custodian.
May exist Driver phone, company device, and app communications Oklahoma state-court subpoena procedure	Driver; carrier; device-management vendor; cloud or app provider; telecom provider	Dispatch instructions, route changes, distraction evidence, and communications around the crash.	Device, cloud, and platform retention differ; content access may require separate legal process.	Preserve the physical device, cloud backup, managed account, app data, metadata, and device-management records without altering the source.

May exist

Tractor, trailer, tires, brakes, lamps, coupling, and damaged components

Likely holder: Owner; carrier; lessor; insurer; tow, repair, or salvage facility
What it may show: Physical condition, mechanical failure, collision geometry, securement, and post-crash alteration.
Retention / loss risk: Very high repair, movement, sale, or disposal risk; no universal federal hold period.
First preservation step: Issue a vehicle-specific hold and arrange a documented inspection before repair, download, destructive testing, sale, or salvage.

May exist

Engine module, advanced-driver-assistance, camera, and telematics data

Likely holder: Carrier; owner; manufacturer; camera or telematics vendor; insurer
What it may show: Depending on the system: speed, braking, throttle, cruise control, fault codes, location, event timing, and video.
Retention / loss risk: High overwrite or alteration risk from key cycles, repair, power loss, download, or vendor purge.
First preservation step: Preserve the vehicle and native vendor data. Record module identity, software, clock settings, extraction method, and chain of custody.

Heavy trucks are outside 49 C.F.R. Part 563's light-vehicle scope

May exist

Cargo, weight, loading, seal, and securement material

Likely holder: Shipper; loader; warehouse; carrier; broker; driver; consignee; scale operator
What it may show: Weight and distribution, sealed-load status, shifting, securement, and who controlled loading.
Retention / loss risk: No universal retention period for loading video, photographs, scale tickets, or diagrams.
First preservation step: Preserve bills of lading, rate and load documents, seal records, scale tickets, dock video, photographs, and communications by custodian.

49 C.F.R. § 392.9 49 C.F.R. § 393.100

May exist

Driver phone, company device, and app communications

Likely holder: Driver; carrier; device-management vendor; cloud or app provider; telecom provider
What it may show: Dispatch instructions, route changes, distraction evidence, and communications around the crash.
Retention / loss risk: Device, cloud, and platform retention differ; content access may require separate legal process.
First preservation step: Preserve the physical device, cloud backup, managed account, app data, metadata, and device-management records without altering the source.

Oklahoma state-court subpoena procedure

Separate custodians

A carrier letter does not preserve everyone else's evidence

Brokers, government agencies, hospitals, toll operators, businesses, vendors, and insurers control their own systems. Each needs a tailored preservation and production path.

Truck crash evidence by custodian, purpose, retention risk, and first preservation step
Evidence	Likely holder	What it may show	Retention / loss risk	First preservation step
Retention rule Broker transaction and carrier-selection material 49 C.F.R. § 371.3	Broker; digital freight platform	Transaction parties, originating carrier, compensation, freight trail, selection, monitoring, and dispatch evidence.	Federally defined transaction records: 3 years. Other onboarding and safety material has no universal federal period.	Preserve transaction records, contracts, rate confirmations, tenders, onboarding, monitoring, and communications without calling all of it federally required.
May exist Crash report, 911, radio, body camera, dash camera, and scene files 51 O.S. § 24A.8	Investigating agency; 911 center; fire and emergency medical services; prosecutor; Service Oklahoma or Department of Public Safety	Scene conditions, measurements, witness accounts, initial statements, citations, and chronology.	Retention and access differ by agency and record. Video can have short system-specific windows.	Send a preservation request first, then use the correct open-records, authorization, or subpoena route for each custodian.
May exist Toll, gantry, traffic-camera, and nearby private-camera evidence 51 O.S. § 24A.5	Turnpike authority; road owner; local government; business or property owner	Vehicle location, time, direction of travel, plate or tag association, and possible images.	Potentially short overwrite window; public access restrictions may apply to toll and safeguarding records.	Identify each system and owner. Preserve transactions, images, tag matching, timestamp, clock, and retention-setting information.
May exist Medical, emergency medical services, native imaging, monitor, and billing data 45 C.F.R. § 164.524	Ambulance service; hospital; treating provider; imaging center; laboratory	Injury mechanism, timing, diagnosis, causation evidence, treatment, and damages.	Systems differ; native imaging, monitor strips, photographs, and audit data may not be in a basic chart export.	Request the run sheet, trauma record, native imaging, lab data, monitor strips, photographs, billing, transfers, and audit trail through the proper patient-access or authorization process.
May exist Roadway, weather, signal, and work-zone material	Oklahoma Department of Transportation; city or county; contractor; signal vendor; National Weather Service	Surface and visibility conditions, signal timing, construction configuration, complaints, and maintenance.	Controller logs, camera footage, contractor systems, and temporary work-zone records may change or overwrite.	Preserve signal data, work-zone plans, change orders, maintenance history, complaints, weather sensors, and incident logs by owner and contractor.
May exist Insurer, appraiser, tow, repair, and salvage material	Insurer; claims administrator; appraiser; tow yard; repair or salvage facility	Early photographs, statements, appraisals, inspections, downloads, vehicle movement, repair, and disposal chronology.	The vehicle and early claim material can change before formal discovery begins.	Preserve photographs, estimates, recordings, notes, downloads, chain-of-custody records, and disposition instructions before repair or salvage.

Retention rule

Broker transaction and carrier-selection material

Likely holder: Broker; digital freight platform
What it may show: Transaction parties, originating carrier, compensation, freight trail, selection, monitoring, and dispatch evidence.
Retention / loss risk: Federally defined transaction records: 3 years. Other onboarding and safety material has no universal federal period.
First preservation step: Preserve transaction records, contracts, rate confirmations, tenders, onboarding, monitoring, and communications without calling all of it federally required.

49 C.F.R. § 371.3

May exist

Crash report, 911, radio, body camera, dash camera, and scene files

Likely holder: Investigating agency; 911 center; fire and emergency medical services; prosecutor; Service Oklahoma or Department of Public Safety
What it may show: Scene conditions, measurements, witness accounts, initial statements, citations, and chronology.
Retention / loss risk: Retention and access differ by agency and record. Video can have short system-specific windows.
First preservation step: Send a preservation request first, then use the correct open-records, authorization, or subpoena route for each custodian.

51 O.S. § 24A.8

May exist

Toll, gantry, traffic-camera, and nearby private-camera evidence

Likely holder: Turnpike authority; road owner; local government; business or property owner
What it may show: Vehicle location, time, direction of travel, plate or tag association, and possible images.
Retention / loss risk: Potentially short overwrite window; public access restrictions may apply to toll and safeguarding records.
First preservation step: Identify each system and owner. Preserve transactions, images, tag matching, timestamp, clock, and retention-setting information.

51 O.S. § 24A.5

May exist

Medical, emergency medical services, native imaging, monitor, and billing data

Likely holder: Ambulance service; hospital; treating provider; imaging center; laboratory
What it may show: Injury mechanism, timing, diagnosis, causation evidence, treatment, and damages.
Retention / loss risk: Systems differ; native imaging, monitor strips, photographs, and audit data may not be in a basic chart export.
First preservation step: Request the run sheet, trauma record, native imaging, lab data, monitor strips, photographs, billing, transfers, and audit trail through the proper patient-access or authorization process.

45 C.F.R. § 164.524

May exist

Roadway, weather, signal, and work-zone material

Likely holder: Oklahoma Department of Transportation; city or county; contractor; signal vendor; National Weather Service
What it may show: Surface and visibility conditions, signal timing, construction configuration, complaints, and maintenance.
Retention / loss risk: Controller logs, camera footage, contractor systems, and temporary work-zone records may change or overwrite.
First preservation step: Preserve signal data, work-zone plans, change orders, maintenance history, complaints, weather sensors, and incident logs by owner and contractor.

May exist

Insurer, appraiser, tow, repair, and salvage material

Likely holder: Insurer; claims administrator; appraiser; tow yard; repair or salvage facility
What it may show: Early photographs, statements, appraisals, inspections, downloads, vehicle movement, repair, and disposal chronology.
Retention / loss risk: The vehicle and early claim material can change before formal discovery begins.
First preservation step: Preserve photographs, estimates, recordings, notes, downloads, chain-of-custody records, and disposition instructions before repair or salvage.

Use the labels literally

Retention rule means a cited regulation defines a record or retention period. It does not prove compliance, completeness, relevance, admissibility, or possession by every company connected to the load.

May exist means availability depends on the vehicle, account, vendor, owner, agency, facility, or event. Do not describe a camera, engine module, app record, post-trip report, or drug test as something that necessarily exists in every crash.

Preservation duties, possession or control, destructive testing, broker or shipper responsibility, sealed-load issues, public-record access, medical privilege, and the right production mechanism require fact-specific legal judgment.

Procedure still matters

A preservation request is not a subpoena, records authorization, inspection agreement, or discovery request. In an Oklahoma state-court case, nonparty subpoena procedure is governed by 12 O.S. § 2004.1; federal cases generally use Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 45. Sanctions and remedies depend on the forum, the preservation duty, fault, prejudice, and the evidence actually lost.

This matrix provides general information, not legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Evidence disappears faster than most people expect.

If a serious Oklahoma truck crash may involve multiple companies or short-lived electronic data, early custodian-specific preservation can matter.

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Oklahoma Truck Crash Evidence Matrix