If you weren't injured, or your vehicle damaged, it's unlikely to be
worth the effort. If any of the aforementioned apply, or you really,
really do want to track the trailer down, my suggestion would be to
try the Motor Carrier Enforcement section of the VA State Police.
Since you mentioned that the incident took place near Richmond, VA,
you could try showing up in person at the weigh station located on
I-64 at around mile marker 203 (it being harder to give you the
brush-off if you're there in person).
If the item(s) you want to "return" are either cargo or securement
equipment, it'll be pretty hard to prove who it came from. If it's an
actual part of a truck, that's a little easier (but maybe not much,
depending on what it is) to prove. Even if the MCE folks tell you
which company owns the trailer (unlikely but possible), you'll need
the time and location (as precisely as possible) to link it to a
specific driver, since a given trailer may be pulled by several
drivers over the course of a day.
Should you ever encounter such a situation again, what you really need
to get is the US DOT number from the side of the truck, and the
company-assigned unit number. With the DOT number, it's easy to find
out what company operates the truck, and the unit number identifies
the specific truck. Every trucking company in the US has somebody in
charge of safety (whether the owner of the company, or an actual
safety department), and almost all of them are very receptive to
comments and concerns from the motoring public. Bad truck drivers can
be *really* expensive for companies, so all reputable carriers *do*
want to know.
Hope this helps.
Be kind to truck drivers, because if you've got it, a truck brought it.
Drive Safely! |
