An accident in a lorry is rarely just a matter of two vehicles and an exchange of details. There may be a trailer, a load that belongs to a customer, a delivery deadline and a vehicle too heavy for an ordinary recovery truck. A clear routine, agreed before anything happens, makes the hours afterwards calmer and keeps the details insurers need in one place. This guide covers what HGV drivers and operators in the UK typically do after a collision, from the roadside to the insurer.

What the driver needs to do at the scene

Safety comes first. The driver stops where it is safe to do so, switches on hazard lights, checks whether anyone is hurt and calls the emergency services if needed. On a motorway or fast road, getting people away from the carriageway matters more than anything else. Once everyone is safe, the legal duties are the same for a lorry as for a car.

• Stop. A driver involved in a collision that injures someone, damages another vehicle or property, or hurts certain animals has to stop, even if the accident was not their fault.
• Exchange details. The driver gives their name and address, the registration number, and the name and address of the vehicle’s owner to anyone with reasonable grounds to ask. For most lorries the owner is the operator or a leasing company, so it helps to keep those details in the cab.
• Report to the police if details are not exchanged. If details cannot be given at the scene, the driver reports the collision to the police in person as soon as possible, and within a day at the latest.
• Insurance details where someone is injured. If anyone is hurt, the driver also shows insurance details to the police or anyone with reasonable grounds to see them. If that is not possible at the scene, the certificate is taken to a police station within a week of reporting.

Drivers usually avoid admitting fault or apologising in a way that could be read as accepting blame. A short, factual exchange of details is enough. Fault is decided later by insurers, using the evidence gathered.

The load, the trailer and the vehicle

This is where an HGV accident differs from a car accident. Before the lorry moves, the driver and the operator need a clear picture of what has happened to the load and the trailer, as well as the tractor unit or rigid.

• The load. A shifted or damaged load can make the lorry unsafe to move. Where the load is hazardous, the emergency services need to know what is on board and the transport documents need to be to hand.
• The trailer. Damage to a semi-trailer or drawbar is recorded separately, because trailer cover may sit on a different policy or come from the trailer’s owner.
• Recovery. A laden artic or heavy rigid often needs specialist recovery. Knowing in advance who to call, and whether breakdown cover with laden recovery is in place, saves time at the roadside.
• Temperature-controlled and tanker loads. A delay can spoil a chilled load or create a separate risk with a tanker, so the operator usually contacts the customer early.

Evidence worth gathering before leaving

Lorries are often blamed by default, especially in side-swipe and blind-spot incidents, so good evidence matters. Many operators give drivers a simple accident card or app checklist so nothing is missed.

• Photos of every vehicle involved, the damage, registration plates, road markings, signs and the wider scene.
• Names and contact details of witnesses, including other drivers and passengers.
• The time, exact location, weather, lighting and road conditions.
• Dashcam, camera system and telematics data, saved straight away so it is not overwritten.
• Tachograph records for the shift, kept available in case the insurer or police ask about driving hours.
• A quick sketch of the positions of the vehicles before and after the collision.

Clear footage can settle a disputed claim far more quickly than two conflicting accounts. Many operators set their camera systems to lock a clip automatically when an impact is detected.

What the operator or transport manager does next

Once the driver is safe and has called in, the paperwork moves to the office. Lorry policies usually expect accidents to be reported to the insurer or broker promptly, even when the operator does not plan to claim. Late notification can cause problems with a claim later, so the policy wording is worth checking for the exact timescale.

Who	What they usually handle
Driver	Safety, stopping, exchanging details, police report if needed, photos, witness details, load check and an accident report the same day
Operator or transport manager	Notifying the motor insurer or broker, arranging recovery, telling the customer, saving footage and tachograph data, updating the accident log
Insurer or broker	Deciding liability, dealing with the other party’s insurer, repairs, injury claims and any claim for the goods

Damage to the customer’s goods is usually a separate claim from damage to the lorry. It normally goes through goods in transit insurance, which has its own conditions about how the load was carried, secured and checked.

Excess, downtime and getting back on the road

A lorry off the road for repairs means lost work, and the excess on an HGV policy can be significant. Some operators look at excess protection for lorry policies so a single claim does not hit cash flow so hard. It is also worth knowing whether the policy pays towards a replacement vehicle or loss of use, and on what terms.

For owner-drivers with one lorry, downtime after an accident can mean no income at all, so the replacement vehicle and recovery terms often matter as much as the repair itself.

How accidents shape your claims record

Every reported incident, including ones where the operator was not at fault, appears in the claims history insurers see at renewal. They look at how often accidents happen, how much they cost and what caused them. A run of low-speed manoeuvring bumps in the yard tells a different story from a single serious collision.

For operators running several lorries on one policy, the way accidents are recorded and managed can have a real bearing on the terms offered. For a new operator on a first policy, the early accident records start to build that history.

Steps that tend to help at renewal

• A written accident procedure that every driver has seen and signed.
• A log of every incident with dates, causes, costs and what changed afterwards.
• Refresher training after an accident, recorded in the log.
• Forward-facing and side cameras, with a clear process for saving and sharing footage.
• Regular licence and driver qualification checks, so the operator knows who is driving and what their record looks like.

HGV accident questions

Does every lorry accident need to be reported to the insurer?

Most HGV policies ask for every accident to be reported, even minor ones with no plan to claim. The policy wording sets out the timescale and what counts as an incident.

Who is the vehicle owner when a lorry driver exchanges details?

Usually the operator, or a leasing or finance company. Agency drivers in particular benefit from having those details in the cab.

Is damage to the load covered by the lorry insurance?

Not usually. Motor insurance covers the vehicle and liability to others on the road. Damage to goods being carried normally falls under goods in transit cover.

Will a non-fault accident affect the premium?

It can. Insurers see all incidents in the claims history, and some take frequency into account even when the operator was not to blame. Clear evidence that the other party was at fault helps the claim to be recorded correctly.

Does HGV Insure handle claims?

No. HGV Insure is an information website and does not sell insurance or handle claims. Claims go to the insurer or broker named on the policy.

Reviewing your lorry cover

An accident is often the moment an operator looks closely at its lorry policy for the first time: what is covered, what the excess is and how recovery and replacement vehicles work. If you would like to compare cover, one short form can put you in touch with specialist brokers who work with hauliers and own-account operators.