NU-FLT-315 — VEHICLE ACCIDENT PROCEDURE & POST-ACCIDENT TESTING
Tier 2/3/4 — Procedure + Glovebox Card + Form · Rev DRAFT · Drafted August 2, 2026 · Owner: Field Supervisor Parent: NU-FLT-300 Equipment & Fleet Program · Ties: NU-SAF-120 (Drug & Alcohol) + NU-SAF-121 (Injury & Incident Aftermath) · Safety authority: NU-SAF-100. Register why-line: Ties NU-SAF-120 and NU-SAF-121 — what happens in the truck, at the roadside, in the first hours.
STEP ZERO — THE DOT STATUS (read this before the rest)
Nova holds USDOT 4221697. As of 8/1/26 the record shows INACTIVE in SAFER — most likely a lapsed MCS-150 biennial update. Reactivation is an open office task and it is step zero of this document. [Adam: file the MCS-150 update and confirm the number shows ACTIVE.]
This procedure is written as if every DOT rule applies — because with 7 trucks pulling equipment trailers, combos routinely over 10,001 lb and often over 26,001 lb GCWR, they do. An inactive number does not make an accident less reportable. It makes the conversation after the accident worse.
THE GATE
Nobody at the scene admits fault, apologizes for the wreck, or negotiates anything with anybody. Not to the other driver, not to a bystander, not to the other guy's insurance on the phone. The driver secures the scene, calls the Supervisor, and stops talking.
Record: the Accident Report Form (NU-FLT-315-F) — started at the scene from the glovebox card, closed within 24 hours.
The accident is one bad day. What gets said and lost in the first hour decides whether it stays one bad day or becomes a year of them.
1. WHAT COUNTS AS AN ACCIDENT
For Nova: any contact. Backed into a gate, curbed a trailer into a mailbox, clipped a mirror — this procedure runs, every time, even with no other vehicle and no cop. Small ones that go unreported become big ones in a courtroom.
For DOT (49 CFR 390.5), an accident is recordable when the truck was on a highway and any of these happened:
| Trigger | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fatality | Anyone dies, at the scene or later from it |
| Injury treated away from the scene | Anybody — our guy, their guy, a pedestrian — gets immediate medical treatment somewhere other than the scene |
| Tow-away | Any vehicle takes disabling damage and leaves on a hook |
Those three triggers also drive the testing table in §5 and the accident register in §6.
2. AT THE SCENE — THE FIRST 15 MINUTES
Do these in order. The glovebox card in §4 is this list, shortened.
- STOP. Never leave. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270) requires stopping and remaining at the scene. Leaving turns a fender-bender into a crime.
- Secure the scene. Hazards on. Cones out of the truck (they're in the loadout — NU-FLT-301) behind the rig, further back than feels necessary. Engine off if there's fuel down.
- Anybody hurt → 911 first. Say the road, the mile marker or cross street, and what's bleeding. Give aid only to the level you're trained to. Nothing in this document ever delays medical care.
- Move the vehicles ONLY if they're drivable, blocking traffic, and nobody is seriously hurt. That's Georgia law too (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-275) — a drivable vehicle blocking a live lane gets moved to the shoulder. Photos first if it is safe to take them — 30 seconds of pictures of where everything sits beats an hour of arguing later. If it is not safe to shoot first, move first. A second wreck into the scene is worse than lost photos.
- One caller: the driver calls the SUPERVISOR. The Supervisor calls the OWNER. That's the ladder (NU-SAF-121) and it doesn't shortcut. The driver does not call the office, the client, or his buddy on the other crew. One caller, so one accurate story.
- Police: injury, death, or property damage of $500 or more (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273) means the police get called and a report gets made. Answer the officer's questions with facts — what happened, not whose fault it was. Get the report number and the officer's name. If no officer responds to the scene, Georgia law requires a written report filed with GA DDS within 10 days — track that filing on the NU-FLT-315-F packet.
- Exchange information — other driver's name, license, plate, insurance company and policy number, phone. Photograph their license and insurance card instead of copying them.
- Witnesses: names and phone numbers before they drive off. A witness at the scene is gold; a witness who left is gone.
- NEVER admit fault. NEVER negotiate. "I'm sorry" is an admission. "We'll take care of it" is a negotiation. "Don't worry about the police, let's settle it here" is a trap — decline it, call the police anyway. What the driver says at the scene: "Are you okay?" and facts to the officer. That's the whole script.
- Photograph everything — all four corners of every vehicle, the damage close-up, the whole scene wide, skid marks, debris, the road surface, signs and signals, their plate, the weather.
- Start the Accident Report Form (NU-FLT-315-F) from the back of the glovebox card while it's fresh. Fresh memory is evidence; tomorrow's memory is a guess.
3. THE PHONE LADDER
| Who | Calls | Owns |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Supervisor, immediately, from the scene | The scene: safety, photos, information, the form |
| Supervisor | Owner, then drives to the scene if it's DOT-recordable or anybody's hurt | The §5 testing decision on the phone, at the scene, on the clock · getting the truck recovered · the DVIR chain in §6 |
| Owner (Adam) | Insurance (§7) · client if their site or schedule is touched | Claims, client relations, anything with a lawyer in it |
The driver talks to exactly three parties at the scene: 911, the police officer, and the Supervisor. Everybody else — the other driver's insurance, a client rep who shows up, anybody with a business card — gets one sentence: "Our office will handle that."
4. THE GLOVEBOX ACCIDENT CARD (Tier 3 — print, laminate, one in every truck)
This is the exact card. Front is the scene. Back is the info to capture. It lives in the glovebox of all 7 trucks with the registration and insurance card.
NOVA UNDERGROUND — ACCIDENT CARD (front)
1. STOP. Never leave. Hazards on, cones out. 2. HURT? → 911. Road + cross street + what's wrong. 3. BLOCKING & DRIVABLE? Photos if safe, then move to the shoulder. Not drivable or someone's hurt bad — leave it, protect it. 4. CALL YOUR SUPERVISOR:
[Adam: name + cell]— he calls everyone else. You call nobody else. 5. SAY NOTHING about fault. No "sorry." No side deals. Facts to the cop only. Everyone else: "Our office will handle that." 6. NO ALCOHOL — nothing, for 8 hours or until you're tested. Stay reachable. Leaving before the testing decision = a refusal. 7. SHOOT EVERYTHING. Their car, our truck, the whole scene, the road, their plate, their license + insurance card.
NOVA UNDERGROUND — ACCIDENT CARD (back) — get all of this
□ Date / time / location (road + cross street) □ Other driver: name · license # · plate · phone □ Their insurance company + policy # (photo of the card) □ Passengers / injuries — who, what, where taken □ Witnesses: name + phone (before they leave) □ Officer name + agency + report number □ Photos: 4 corners each vehicle · damage · wide scene · skid marks · road □ Tow company + where the truck went
USDOT 4221697 · Truck #____ Insurance claims — call:
[Adam: carrier claim line + policy # — from Powell & Meadows]
5. DOT POST-ACCIDENT TESTING — THE DECISION TABLE (49 CFR 382.303)
The Supervisor makes this call from the scene, on the phone, before the driver goes anywhere. This is the DOT rule for CDL drivers in CDL-required combos — which per NU-FLT-310 §1 is where Nova's loaded combos routinely live. The program mechanics — collection site, consortium, chain of custody, non-DOT company-authority testing for everything below these thresholds — are NU-SAF-120. This table only answers one question: does this driver test tonight?
| What happened | Citation to the Nova driver? | DOT test? |
|---|---|---|
| Fatality | Yes or no — doesn't matter | ALWAYS. Alcohol + drugs. No judgment call exists. |
| Injury treated away from the scene | Yes | Test — alcohol + drugs |
| Injury treated away from the scene | No | No DOT test — NU-SAF-120 company-authority testing may still apply |
| Vehicle towed (disabling damage) | Yes | Test — alcohol + drugs |
| Vehicle towed (disabling damage) | No | No DOT test — NU-SAF-120 company-authority testing may still apply |
The clocks (49 CFR 382.303(d)):
| Test | Target | The hard stop |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | Within 2 hours | If not done by 2 hours, write down why and keep trying. At 8 hours, stop and document. A citation counts toward the alcohol test if issued within 8 hours of the accident. |
| Drugs | As soon as possible | At 32 hours, stop and document. A citation counts toward the drug test if issued within 32 hours. |
The rules around the clocks:
- The driver uses NO alcohol for 8 hours after the accident, or until tested, whichever comes first (49 CFR 382.209). Nothing to "calm the nerves." It's on the card.
- The driver stays available. Leaving the scene or making himself unreachable before the testing decision is treated as a refusal to test — and under NU-SAF-120 and NU-PPL-403, a refusal is a positive.
- Medical care always wins. A driver leaving to get treated is not a refusal, and nobody delays an ambulance to find a collection site.
- A police breath or blood test counts for the alcohol requirement if the results can be obtained (49 CFR 382.303(g)). Get the officer's agency on the form.
- Missing a clock is not the end — failing to document it is. Every missed window gets a written record of why. That record goes in the NU-FLT-315-F packet.
6. THE PAPER CHAIN — DVIR, DAMAGE REPORT, NU-SAF-121
An accident produces four records. All four, every time, same day.
- The Accident Report Form (NU-FLT-315-F) — started at the scene, closed within 24 hours by the Supervisor. One page: the card's back side, plus narrative, plus the testing decision and times.
- The DVIR. The truck and trailer get a post-accident DVIR in the DVIR book (the physical book — Recipe Book Ch. 2) listing every defect from the accident. FMCSA requires the written report and the repair certification before the vehicle runs again (49 CFR 396.11; unsafe vehicles don't move, 49 CFR 396.7). That morning's pre-trip DVIR page gets pulled and preserved — it is the proof of the truck's condition before the wreck. See §8.
- The damage / incident report per NU-SAF-121. The accident aftermath — people, root cause, corrective action, return-to-work — runs on NU-SAF-121's rails. This document ends where the trucks are recovered and the tests are done; NU-SAF-121 carries it from there.
- The accident register. DOT-recordable accidents go on the carrier's accident register, kept 3 years (49 CFR 390.15): date, location, driver, injuries, fatalities, hazmat.
[Adam: the register is an office artifact that doesn't exist yet — one spreadsheet, lives with the DQ files, NU-FLT-313.]
7. INSURANCE NOTIFICATION
- The Owner calls it in — same day, every accident, regardless of fault or size. Late notice is a coverage problem. The broker is Powell & Meadows (Kristin Anderson); the claim goes to the carrier's claim line.
[Adam: get the auto carrier's claim-reporting number and policy number from Powell & Meadows and print them on the glovebox card in §4 — that blank is the one thing the card is missing.] - Nobody gives a recorded statement to the OTHER party's insurance company. Ever. Not the driver, not the Supervisor. Their adjuster calls anybody at Nova, the answer is one sentence: "Our insurance carrier will handle that," and the call gets logged on the NU-FLT-315-F.
- Nobody signs anything at the scene or after except a police citation. Releases, waivers, "just confirming what happened" forms — nothing, without the Owner and the carrier seeing it first.
8. PRESERVE EVERYTHING
Assume every accident becomes a claim, and every claim becomes a lawsuit. Preserve accordingly, starting the same day:
| What | The rule |
|---|---|
| Photos & video | Everything shot at the scene uploads off the driver's phone same day to the job folder — phones get lost, dropped, and replaced |
| Dashcam footage | If the truck has one, pull the card that day — most dashcams overwrite on a loop and the evidence erases itself. [Adam: which of the 7 trucks, if any, have dashcams? If none — a forward-facing cam per truck is the cheapest not-at-fault proof money buys. Decision, not a purchase order.] |
| That morning's DVIR | Pulled from the book and filed with the packet — it proves the brakes, lights, and tires were checked before the wreck |
| The Daily Truck Log page | That day's page from the pad — where the truck was and who had it |
| The vehicle itself | Nothing gets repaired, washed, scrapped, or sent to the body shop until it's photographed and the Owner releases it. On a serious accident the carrier may want their own inspection first |
| The driver's story | Written on the NU-FLT-315-F within 24 hours, signed. Not re-told from memory three weeks later |
One packet: form + photos + DVIRs + log page + police report number + testing records. It lives with the office copy of the DQ file (NU-FLT-313), kept with the register in §6.
THE FORM — NU-FLT-315-F (Tier 4)
The Tier-4 master record. One page, started at the scene from the glovebox card (§4), closed within 24 hours by the Supervisor, signed by driver and Supervisor. This is the record every other section of this document points to — §6 item 1, §8's packet, §9's Done-When, and §11 item 7 all assume this layout exists.
NOVA UNDERGROUND — ACCIDENT REPORT FORM (NU-FLT-315-F)
Header Date: _ Time: Location (road + cross street): ____ Truck #: Trailer #: Driver: ___ Supervisor: _____ USDOT 4221697
Scene facts (from the glovebox card back, §4) □ Other driver: name · license # · plate · phone □ Their insurance company + policy # (photo of card taken: Y / N) □ Passengers / injuries — who, what, where taken □ Witnesses: name + phone □ Officer name + agency + report number (or: no officer responded — GA DDS written report filed within 10 days: Y / N, date filed _____) □ Photos taken: 4 corners each vehicle · damage · wide scene · skid marks · road (Y / N) □ Tow company + where the truck went
Narrative (what happened, in order — facts only, no fault language)
§5 testing decision Criteria checked (Y/N): Fatality ___ Injury treated away from scene ___ Vehicle towed (disabling damage) ___ Citation issued to Nova driver: Y / N — if Y, time issued: _ DOT test required: Y / N Clock times: Accident time → Alcohol test collection time __ → Drug test collection time _ Result received date: Missed-clock explanation (if any): ____________
Insurance Claim #: _ Carrier notified date: ___
Signatures Driver: _____ Date: _ Supervisor: ___ Date: _____
9. DONE WHEN
An accident is closed under this SOP when every box below is checked. (The people side — injury aftermath, root cause, corrective action — closes separately under NU-SAF-121.)
- [ ] Scene handled per §2 — no injuries untreated, police report number in hand where required
- [ ] Supervisor and Owner called per the ladder, same hour
- [ ] §5 testing decision made and written down with times — tested, or documented why not required / why a clock was missed
- [ ] NU-FLT-315-F closed within 24 hours, signed by driver and Supervisor
- [ ] Post-accident DVIR written; truck and trailer repaired and certified before returning to service
- [ ] Insurance carrier notified same day; claim number written on the form
- [ ] Accident register updated (DOT-recordable only)
- [ ] Preservation packet complete per §8 and filed
- [ ] Handed to NU-SAF-121 for aftermath and root cause
10. THE NEVER LIST
- Never leave the scene. Not to "go get the Supervisor." Phones exist.
- Never admit fault, apologize for the wreck, or say "we'll take care of it" — to anyone, at any point.
- Never negotiate or take a side deal at the scene. "No need for the cops" means call the cops.
- Never drink alcohol within 8 hours of an accident or before the post-accident test — whichever comes first.
- Never leave or go dark before the testing decision. That's a refusal, and a refusal is a positive.
- Never give a recorded statement to the other side's insurance.
- Never sign anything at the scene except a citation.
- Never repair, wash, or scrap the vehicle before photos and the Owner's release.
- Never let the dashcam loop overwrite — pull the card the same day.
- Never delay medical care for anything on this page. People first, paper second.
11. WHAT THIS DOCUMENT NEEDS FROM ADAM
- Step zero: reactivate USDOT 4221697. File the MCS-150 update, confirm SAFER shows ACTIVE. Until then Nova is running trucks on an inactive number, and this whole document is describing obligations Nova can't currently meet on paper.
- The carrier claim line. One call to Powell & Meadows (Kristin Anderson): auto liability carrier's claim-reporting number + policy number. It goes on the glovebox card, §4. The card is not printable until this blank is filled.
- The CDL / weight question — same open item as NU-FLT-310 §1 and §11. GVWR/GCWR actuals are still
[Adam: door stickers]and the Fleet Register is still[fill]. Those numbers decide which drivers §5 applies to as a matter of law versus company policy, and they're the same numbers NU-FLT-313 DQ files need. - NU-SAF-120 dependencies (drafting in parallel): the named collection site with after-hours capability and the consortium/TPA. The 32-hour drug clock and the 2-hour alcohol target are unforgiving at 2 a.m. on a Saturday — the site gets named before the first test is needed, not during it.
- Dashcam inventory: which trucks have one, if any — and the buy/no-buy decision on the rest.
- Print and laminate the §4 card for all 7 trucks once items 2 and 4 are filled, and verify each glovebox holds: card + registration + insurance card + two blank NU-FLT-315-F forms.
- Approve NU-FLT-315-F as the Tier-4 record (the §4 card back + narrative + testing decision block, one page) so Steve can put it in Softr next to the DVIR and Daily Truck Log records.
- Register: NU-GOV-000 (add row on issue).
NU-FLT-315 · Rev DRAFT · Nova Underground · Parent: NU-FLT-300 · Ties NU-SAF-120 + NU-SAF-121 · Cross-refs: NU-FLT-301, NU-FLT-310, NU-FLT-313, NU-FLD-200 Driver ch., DVIR book, Daily Truck Log · Uncontrolled when printed. · Register: NU-GOV-000 (add row on issue) ·