Washington: Who Pays When a Truck Hits a Bridge?

A truck approaches an overpass. The load appears to have enough clearance. The GPS continues to indicate the same route, and perhaps the driver has already traveled dozens of miles without a problem. Then a few inches change everything. The trailer or load strikes the structure, and within seconds a routine transportation operation becomes an incident involving engineers, transportation authorities, highway closures, tow trucks, insurers, and potentially a claim from the state.

In Washington, this scenario is more than a theoretical risk. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) provides commercial carriers with tools to check bridge clearances and route restrictions before traveling. The agency also places responsibility on commercial vehicle operators to verify restrictions and clearance issues affecting their routes.

Washington Law Addresses Who Can Be Liable

Washington law specifically addresses damage caused to highways, bridges, and other public infrastructure.

Under RCW 46.44.110, a person operating a vehicle illegally or negligently can be held liable for damage caused to a public highway, bridge, elevated structure, or other state property.

The statute also addresses vehicles operating without required special permits when they exceed legal limitations involving weight, width, height, or length.

There is another provision that trucking companies should pay particular attention to: when the driver is not the owner of the vehicle but is operating it with the owner’s express or implied permission, the owner and operator can be jointly and severally liable for damages covered by the statute.

That means a bridge strike can quickly become more than just the driver’s problem.

It may also become a significant financial issue for the carrier or vehicle owner.

The Cost Can Go Far Beyond the Damage to the Bridge

When people imagine a semi-truck hitting a bridge, they may picture the cost of repairing a damaged beam or replacing part of the structure. In reality, the potential financial exposure can be considerably broader.

Under Washington law, the state can pursue a civil action to recover damages to highways, bridges, elevated structures, or other state property. RCW 46.44.110 also allows certain incident-response costs, including traffic control costs, to be included.

Depending on the circumstances, additional expenses can involve towing, vehicle recovery, storage, emergency response, inspections, lane restrictions, traffic management, and specialized engineering work.

A recent official WSDOT case illustrates the complexity of these incidents. In September 2025, an over-height vehicle struck a bridge along State Route 167. WSDOT subsequently reported that engineers and inspectors had to evaluate the damage and develop a repair strategy. The agency explained that every bridge strike is different and that repairs can require engineering analysis, specialized crews, materials, equipment mobilization, and a safe traffic-control plan.

For a trucking company, the real cost of a bridge strike can therefore be much greater than the damage visible from the driver’s seat.

What About Truck Insurance?

This is where an important distinction must be made.

In general, commercial auto liability insurance is designed to respond, subject to the policy’s terms, conditions, exclusions, and limits, when an insured becomes legally responsible for covered bodily injury or property damage arising from the operation of a commercial vehicle.

But a trucking company should never assume that simply having liability insurance means every expense associated with a bridge strike will automatically be covered.

One accident can create several different exposures.

Damage to the bridge or public infrastructure: This may result in a property-damage liability claim.

Damage to the tractor or trailer: Coverage may depend on the physical damage protection purchased and the terms of the policy.

Damage to cargo: This would need to be evaluated under the applicable Motor Truck Cargo policy, including the cause of the loss and any exclusions.

Towing, recovery, and storage: These can become significant additional expenses, and whether they are insured depends on the coverage purchased.

Damages exceeding available insurance limits: If a claim exceeds the applicable policy limit, the carrier could face substantial uninsured financial exposure.

Insurance is therefore an essential layer of protection, but insurance does not replace proper route planning.

A Permit Does Not Eliminate the Responsibility to Check the Route

This is particularly important for carriers moving oversized or over-height loads.

WSDOT provides a Bridge Vertical Clearance Trip Planner that allows carriers to research bridge clearances along state routes. However, WSDOT warns that the information is intended as a planning tool and that actual conditions can change because of construction, resurfacing, lane configurations, temperature, and other factors.

Most importantly, WSDOT states that the operator remains responsible for identifying and safely clearing obstructions along the route.

For oversize permits, carriers are expected to check—or prerun—the proposed route and plan safe maneuvers or detours where necessary.

WSDOT also indicates that loads over 16 feet in height require Superload Permit approval.

Having a permit or using a digital planning tool, therefore, does not automatically guarantee that every physical obstacle along a route can be safely cleared.

A Commercial GPS Should Not Have the Final Word

Navigation technology has transformed trucking, but there is a fundamental difference between finding the fastest route and finding a route that is legally and physically suitable for a commercial vehicle.

Washington provides commercial vehicle operators with official maps, route restrictions, bridge-clearance information, and oversize/overweight permitting resources through WSDOT.

For carriers, this turns route planning into an important form of risk management.

Before moving a particularly high load, the question should not simply be:

“What is the shortest route?”

The more important question is:

“Can my truck legally and physically travel through every section of this route?”

A Few Inches Can Become a Major Claim

Bridge strikes demonstrate how quickly a seemingly small operational mistake can create a complicated transportation claim.

The accident might begin with only a few inches separating the top of a trailer or load from a bridge. But the consequences can involve the driver, motor carrier, truck owner, state transportation authorities, engineers, towing companies, insurers, and potentially other road users.

Washington law adds another important consideration. Under RCW 46.44.110, WSDOT’s determination of damage to a highway, bridge, elevated structure, or other state property constitutes prima facie evidence of the amount of damage and is presumed recoverable in a civil action under the statute.

For trucking companies and owner-operators, the lesson goes beyond insurance.

Knowing the exact dimensions of the vehicle and load, checking official restrictions, obtaining the proper permits, and verifying the route before departure can be just as important as having the right insurance coverage.

Because when a truck hits a bridge in Washington, the question is no longer simply how much it will cost to repair the truck.

The bigger question is:

How much will everything else cost?

Official Sources

• Washington State Legislature — RCW 46.44.110: Liability for damage to highways, bridges, and other state property.
• Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT): Route & Commercial Vehicle Restrictions.
• WSDOT: Commercial Vehicle Permits.
• WSDOT: Bridge Vertical Clearance Trip Planner.
• WSDOT: Maps & Tools for Commercial Vehicles.
• WSDOT: SR 167 bridge damage and repair plan following the September 2025 over-height vehicle strike.