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Accident Type Guide

Dealing With the Trucking Company’s Insurance Adjuster

The adjuster is not lying to you and is usually perfectly pleasant. They are also doing a job whose objective is not the same as yours.

David I. Shiner, Esq., founder of Shiner Law Group
Reviewed and maintained by Shiner Law Group, P.A. · Last reviewed: September 1, 2026
We work to keep this page accurate and current. If you find an error, email joseph@shinerlawgroup.com and we will correct it. About the reviewer →

On This Page

  1. What the adjuster is doing
  2. The requests to expect
  3. What is safe to say
  4. Florida rules that apply
  5. What to do
  6. Frequently asked questions

What the Adjuster Is Actually Doing

It helps to be clear-eyed rather than adversarial about this. A claims adjuster for a motor carrier’s insurer is a professional evaluating and resolving a claim at the lowest defensible cost. Being courteous is part of doing that well, and most are courteous.

What follows from their role rather than their character: they are gathering information that will be used to evaluate liability and damages, they are not obliged to tell you what your claim may be worth, and they are not obliged to point out that you may be entitled to more than they have offered.

In a serious truck crash the contact often comes early — sometimes within a day or two, before you have seen a doctor twice. That timing is not accidental. It is the point at which you know least about your own injuries.

Within daysHow quickly contact often comes after a serious truck crash
Not obligedAn adjuster need not tell you what a claim may be worth
No dutyYou generally owe no recorded statement to another party’s insurer

The Requests to Expect

RequestWhat to understand about it
A recorded statementYou generally have no obligation to give one to another party's insurer. Statements made before the medical picture is clear are used later to argue injuries are unrelated or overstated.
A blanket medical authorizationA broad release allows a search of your entire medical history for a pre-existing condition to attribute symptoms to. What is properly discoverable is narrower than what a blanket form permits.
An early settlement offerUsually arrives before anyone knows what treatment will be required. Accepting means signing a release that ends the claim permanently.
A request that you not speak to a lawyerOccasionally framed as unnecessary or as something that will slow things down. You are entitled to advice at any point.
A request for your own account of faultSpeculation about speed or distance you did not measure becomes evidence. Describe what you observed, not what you assume.

None of these are improper requests for an adjuster to make. They are simply requests you are entitled to decline, or to route through someone advising you.

David I. Shiner, Esq., founder of Shiner Law Group
Published By

Shiner Law Group, P.A.

Founded by David I. Shiner, Esq. · AV Preeminent® rated · Florida Bar member since 2002

Shiner Law Group was founded by David I. Shiner, Esq., a Nova Southeastern University law graduate, a member of The Florida Bar since 2002, and AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell. The firm represents injured people across Florida from offices in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Orlando, Wellington, and Belle Glade, and handles truck accident cases on contingency: free consultations, and no fee unless there is a recovery.

The firm works to keep this information current and consistent. Spotted something wrong? Email joseph@shinerlawgroup.com and we will fix it. About this site →

What Is Safe to Say

You do have obligations to your own insurer under your policy, including cooperation and prompt notice. Those duties do not extend to the other side’s carrier.

When the carrier’s adjuster calls, it is reasonable and sufficient to confirm your name and that you were involved, take their name, company, and claim number, say that you are still being treated and are not able to discuss injuries yet, decline a recorded statement for now, and end the call politely.

  • Do not guess at speeds, distances, or timings.
  • Do not say you are fine, or that injuries are minor, before you know.
  • Do not describe the crash in detail before you have the report and your own recollection settled.
  • Do not agree to a recorded statement on the call.
  • Do not sign anything that arrives by email or post without having it read.
  • Do not discuss it on social media afterward.

You are entitled to advice before you answer questions.

Shiner Law Group offers free case reviews for Florida truck accident victims and families — 24/7, no fee unless you win.

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Florida Rules Worth Knowing

  • PIP first. Your own $10,000 in benefits under Fla. Stat. § 627.736 applies regardless of fault, with treatment required within 14 days. Your own insurer, not the truck’s, handles that.
  • Comparative fault is the adjuster’s main tool. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.81, every percentage point of fault assigned to you reduces recovery, and above 50% it is barred entirely. Expect questions designed to elicit an admission.
  • The permanent injury threshold gates non-economic damages under Fla. Stat. § 627.737, which is why questions about how you are feeling matter more than they appear to.
  • The deadline runs regardless. Two years for claims arising after March 24, 2023, and much shorter notice periods where a government entity is involved.

What to Do When the Adjuster Calls

  1. Take their name, company, and claim number, and note the date and time.
  2. Confirm only that you were involved, and that you are still being treated.
  3. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer before speaking with an attorney.
  4. Do not sign a medical authorization without having its scope reviewed.
  5. Refer further contact to your attorney once you have one.
  6. Keep a log of every contact, including what was asked and offered.
  7. Report the crash to your own insurer promptly, since your policy requires it.

See The Settlement Process for what happens next, and What to Do After a Truck Accident for the full sequence.

Insurance Adjuster FAQ

Do I have to give the trucking company's insurer a recorded statement?
Generally no. You have duties of cooperation to your own insurer under your policy, but you typically owe no recorded statement to another party's insurer. Early statements, given before the medical picture is clear, are routinely used later to argue injuries are unrelated or exaggerated.
The adjuster seems genuinely helpful. Am I being paranoid?
Not paranoid, and probably right that they are decent. The caution is structural rather than personal: their role is to resolve the claim at the lowest defensible cost, they are not obliged to tell you what it may be worth, and they are not obliged to point out that you may be entitled to more.
Should I sign the medical authorization they sent?
Have its scope reviewed first. A blanket authorization permits a search of your entire medical history for a pre-existing condition to blame. What is properly discoverable is limited to what is relevant to the claimed injury, and that boundary is worth preserving.
They offered a quick settlement. Why not just take it?
Because it arrives before anyone knows what your treatment will require, and accepting means signing a release that permanently ends the claim. It cannot be reopened if an injury proves worse than expected or if surgery becomes necessary later.
What does it cost to hire a truck accident lawyer in Florida?
Shiner Law Group, which operates this website, handles Florida truck accident cases on a contingency basis: the consultation is free, and there is no attorney's fee unless there is a recovery, with the terms set out in a written fee agreement.
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