Bill Ball

Well, it happened again. Driving to work over my 40-mile route, sections of which see a lot of gravel truck traffic, I was coming up behind a couple of empty haulers when, BAM!, I got a good-sized rock hit creating a star crack on the passenger side. This happens about every 2 years, almost like clockwork.

So, I pulled up alongside the second truck, but I saw no CA Number (Motor Carrier Property Permit number). I moved up to the truck in front of it and mentally noted the CA Number on the door. They appeared to be from the same company, traveling together in a line.

When I got to work, I found the online database for the CA number.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vehindustry/mc...ve_carrier.htm
and I quickly located the company and called them. The guy that answered the phone was the driver of the lead truck. He said he sweeps his trucks religiously, and there were no rocks on them, and I must have been hit by rock debris picked up by his or another vehicle's tires. While that is possible, this is so rare I could count on one hand the number of times in 44 years of driving that I have been hit by road debris tossed up by tires. Every time I've had a good rock hit there was a gravel truck immediately ahead, and on a few occasions I have actually seen the rock fall off the truck, bounce and hit. I didn't see it this time, although I was on my guard as I approached the trucks. So, in fact, I can't claim I saw enough to claim cause and effect, but this is like one of those legal "res ipsa loquitur" situations - The Thing Speaks for Itself.

I don't carry comprehensive on purpose. Every previous time I have replaced the windshield myself because I could not get a CA number, even in the case where I saw the rock leave the truck and bounce towards my car. In this case, I do have the guy's insurance company name from the state database.

What would you do?

danglerb

I might ask a few questions of my insurance company, and find out the cost of the new glass, wait for better advice than mine, then decide.

Maybe get an estimate from the local Porsche dealer, and after looking at that they might settle for some lower cost glass replacement option.

You have to figure their first line of defense is we didn't do it. A good camera and a few picts down into their trucks from an overpass might help, as well as checking for maybe other claims from them.

Also just because they sweep the truck bed that doesn't mean rocks aren't in the tire tread and thrown up.

Good luck Bill.

Charley B

Bill, you mention that you were able to speak to the driver of the lead truck, but you don't mention if he had any official capacity with the company, other than driver. I think before you proceed you need to speak with someone in a position of authority.

ROG100

Bill,
That sucks and I feel your pain.
My GTS was hit by something large that flew off a truck a couple of weeks back.
I know have a golf ball size deep ding right in the middle of the hood.
On a brighter note I have seen glass for $200 or there abouts fitted.
Roger

anonymousagain

might consider at least getting it filled tonight at a Safelite or something to keep it from g r o w i n g, until you sort it out.

not first hand, but my nephew pressed a similar situation with the trucking mgmt a few years back and they eventually footed the bill. He maintained composure throughout and feels that's why they ultimately conceded the arguement.

real pisser it caught you ....

danglerb

OTOH I do have some sympathy for the guys running trucks, any idea how many people with a broken or "dusted" windshield must call them every day?

Last time I had some damage from a truck, it was much more costly for the insurance to pay than for the owner to pay directly, but after I cut the driver some slack for close to a month I ran it through AAA and let them collect from him. Thats what I pay the comprehensive for.

Bill Ball

It's a small company with 4 trucks (according to the state database). I think this is the driver/owner. He wasn't a total a'hole. He remembered me ("white Porsche") pulling up along side him for awhile. He was just insistent that he carefully swept his truck and there were no rocks, something a lot of truckers don't do. I sorta sympathized with him. He takes pains to clean his truck, but he says he gets calls like mine from time to time and does not believe he is guilty. Obviously, I can file a claim with his insurance company and probably will. I'm not sure how to best do this, and I needed to vent anyway.

Bill Ball

I don't believe in comprehensive for little things like this. I can afford to fix it. OTOH, I don't want to absorb this if the other guy should pay. In talking with the guy, I did believe his claim that he sweeps his trucks and does his best to avoid tossing rocks. I just think he missed one this time, although I can't be 100% sure.

Bill Ball

Yeah, as long as it's not the Chinese glass I got last time. Oh well, maybe I can get Pilkington this time and get rid of the wavy windshield I have now.

Bill Ball

dangler - Dealer glass = $1000. Aftermarket usually $250-350 installed (sometmes a bit cheaper, sometimes more), but WATCH OUT for Chinese junk glass flooding the aftermarket recently - WAVY GRAVY. I'll be looking for Pilkington or one of the other recognized brands.

Right now it's just a star, so I may just patch it as anon mentioned.

ZEUS+

What a bummer. A rock broke mine on the foliage run. Ins. did cover mine, even without a plate #. I hope you find good glass.

Imo000

Bill,

I had something similar happen to me last winter and even after getting a written statement from the truck driver and 2 police reports (another driver hit the same part) the insurance company said that they will not go after the trucker. They didn't asked me to pay the deductible either. The damage was almost $3k. The part I hit was a battery cover off a concrete truck and the truck it came off was parked on the shoulder, I stopped and got a written statement form the trucker and a police report too, but that didn't matter. It was classified as a foreign object impact and that was the end. If the insurance co. would have asked me to pay the deductible, I would have fought it, but since they didn't I left it at that.

Unless there is a witness or you have it on tape, it will be very difficult to prove that the rock came off that truck and that sux.

mcholdfast

It happened to me in my Audi. The driver of a full gravel truck ran off the edge of the road and the jolt made a handfull of gravel spill over the top. I had to follow him about 5 miles before he finally stopped. He gave me the number of "the guy that handles their insurance claims." They agreed to pay me what it would cost to have cheapo glass installed and I paid the difference for oem.

heinrich

forget it. I've tried and failed.

Nicole

Hi Bill:

I'm sorry to hear this. That sucks big time, and I hope you can get their insurance to pay.

My car still has its first windshield, but it looks like it has been sandblasted and needs to be replaced as well. I wonder, if we can pool all the locals who need new windshields and negotiate a quantity discount...