Who investigates a truck crash on I-15 or another Las Vegas freeway, and how do I get the report?

Last updated October 8, 2026.

A truck crash on I-15 or another Las Vegas freeway is usually handled by the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol (NHP), not by city or Metro police. You request the report from NHP with the crash number that begins with "NHP," and it is generally ready 7 to 14 days after the crash, for a $10 fee.

Because a commercial truck is involved, federal safety rules also start running, including deadlines for the trucking company's drug and alcohol tests. This page explains who does what after a freeway crash and how it fits into a Las Vegas truck accident claim.

How does it work on a Las Vegas freeway, step by step?

Call for help. The Nevada Department of Transportation tells drivers to dial 911 for emergencies, or *NHP (*647) to report traffic crashes and stranded motorists to the Highway Patrol.
The Highway Patrol responds. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's reporting page sends anyone reporting a crash on a freeway to the Nevada State Police. NHP's Southern Command covers Las Vegas and the rest of Southern Nevada from 6830 Bermuda Road.
Clear the lanes if you can do it safely. Drivers must stop at the scene. If a vehicle is blocking traffic and can be moved safely, it should be moved out of the travel lanes (NRS 484E.020(1)). In an injury crash, every driver must stay until the information and aid duties are done (NRS 484E.010, 484E.030(1)).
Write down the crash number. NHP will not release a report without its crash number, which starts with "NHP," plus the last name of someone involved and the crash date.
Federal testing rules apply to the truck driver. If someone died, the trucking company must test each surviving truck driver for alcohol and drugs. If someone was taken away for treatment or a vehicle was towed, testing is required when the truck driver is cited for a moving violation within 8 hours (alcohol) or 32 hours (drugs) (49 CFR 382.303(a), (b)).
Request the report. NHP says reports are available 7 to 14 days after the crash, at $10 each. Fatal crash reports and all crash photos come from the regional office; photos cost $5.
The trucking company keeps its own record. Interstate carriers must keep an accident register for 3 years, including copies of accident reports required by the state (49 CFR 390.15(b)). That register is one of several company records described in how long trucking companies must keep their records.
Start the claim and watch the deadline. An injury lawsuit in Nevada must be filed within 2 years (NRS 11.190(4)(e)). The broader sequence, from the scene to settlement or court, is in what happens after a truck accident in Las Vegas.

Who does what after a freeway truck crash

Who	Role	What you can get or expect
Nevada State Police Highway Patrol, Southern Command	Responds to and documents freeway crashes	Crash report 7 to 14 days after the crash, $10; fatal reports and photos ($5) from 6830 Bermuda Road, Las Vegas, NV 89119, (702) 668-4100, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
NHP Commercial Enforcement Section	Enforces state and federal motor vehicle laws, size and weight laws, and registration and fuel tax laws for commercial carriers	Its work can produce violations that matter in a claim
NDOT Freeway Service Patrol	Helps clear stalled vehicles, debris and minor crashes on busy valley freeways; works with police, fire and tow crews	Not on call; stops along its regular route
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department	Handles crashes on city streets and unincorporated county roads, not freeways	Report for a crash on a surface street before or after the freeway
The trucking company	Post-crash drug and alcohol tests when required; keeps an accident register	Test records go to FMCSA on request; register kept 3 years (49 CFR 382.303, 390.15)
Nevada DMV	Receives a driver's crash report when no officer investigated	Report due within 10 days for injury or $750 in damage (NRS 484E.070)

Why does the Highway Patrol's commercial side matter?

NHP is more than the troopers who answer the 911 call. Its Commercial Enforcement Section is responsible for state and federal motor vehicle laws, vehicle size and weight laws, and the registration and fuel tax laws that apply to trucks. NHP also says Nevada has adopted the federal motor carrier rules in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations by reference.

NHP describes the state as having about 34,624 miles of highway, 560 of them interstate, and no permanent fixed truck inspection facilities. It relies on mobile, roving enforcement and temporary inspection sites. That is one reason the trucking company's own records often carry so much weight in a claim.

Those records include the driver's hours, the truck's maintenance and any prior crashes. The limits on driving time are explained in truck driver hours-of-service rules. A carrier's public safety history is covered in how to check a trucking company's safety record.

What changes the answer

Exactly where the crash happened. LVMPD sends freeway crashes to the Nevada State Police, but a crash on a city street or county road, even one close to the freeway, goes to the local agency. Henderson and North Las Vegas have their own police departments. If you are unsure, the officer's card or the report number will tell you. The agency-by-agency process is in how to get a Las Vegas crash report.

Whether anyone died. A death makes post-crash testing of the surviving truck driver mandatory, citation or not (49 CFR 382.303(a)(1)). Fatal crash reports come through the NHP regional office.

Whether the truck driver was cited. In an injury or tow-away crash without a death, testing depends on a citation for a moving violation within 8 hours for alcohol or 32 hours for drugs (49 CFR 382.303(b)). If the alcohol test is not done within 2 hours, the company must record why (49 CFR 382.303(d)(1)). How the results can matter is covered in truck driver drug and alcohol testing after a crash.

Whether the truck crossed state lines. The federal safety rules apply to commercial vehicles in interstate commerce weighing or rated at 10,001 pounds or more, among others (49 CFR 390.3T, 390.5T). Trucks working only inside Nevada fall under state rules that adopt most of the federal ones, explained in Nevada's rules for in-state trucks.

Whether no officer came. If no officer was present, drivers in an injury crash, or any crash on a highway, must report it right away to the nearest police office or the Highway Patrol (NRS 484E.030(2)). A crash with injury or $750 in damage that no officer investigated also needs a DMV report within 10 days (NRS 484E.070(2), (3)).

Where the trucking company is based. An out-of-state carrier can be sued in Nevada on any basis the constitutions allow (NRS 14.065), and carriers must name an agent to accept legal papers in each state they operate in or pass through (49 CFR 366.4T). See suing an out-of-state trucking company in Nevada.

For example: a rear-end crash in I-15 traffic

Imagine a hypothetical driver named Priya in stop-and-go traffic on northbound I-15 in Las Vegas on a weekday afternoon. A tractor-trailer behind her fails to stop and pushes her car into the vehicle ahead. Her car cannot be driven.

Priya calls 911. NHP troopers arrive, Freeway Service Patrol helps set up traffic control, and an ambulance takes her to the hospital with neck and shoulder injuries. Before she leaves, a trooper hands her a card with a crash number starting with "NHP." The truck driver is cited for following too closely, a rule in NRS 484B.127.

Because Priya left the scene for medical treatment and the truck driver was cited, the trucking company must test him for alcohol and drugs within the federal time limits (49 CFR 382.303(b)). Ten days later, Priya's husband requests the report from NHP using the crash number, her last name and the crash date, and pays the $10 fee. He also calls the Southern Command office to ask about the crash photos.

The trucking company's insurer calls within days. Priya writes down the company name painted on the truck from her photos, gives only basic facts and does not give a recorded statement yet. She also has a letter sent asking the company to keep its logs and test records. Every detail here is invented to show the process; it is not a real case or result.

Common mistakes after a freeway truck crash

Asking Metro for the report. For a freeway crash, LVMPD points you to the Nevada State Police. Going to the wrong agency wastes days.
Losing the crash number. NHP's request system needs the number that begins with "NHP." Photograph the trooper's card at the scene.
Not asking for the photos. NHP handles crash photos through its regional offices, for a $5 fee, so ask for them separately.
Assuming the truck driver was tested. Without a death, testing depends on a citation within the federal time windows. Ask later, through the claim, whether a test was done.
Talking at length with the carrier's insurer. The adjuster works for the company whose driver hit you. Stick to basic facts until you understand the claim.
Waiting to send a preservation request. Some trucking records can be discarded after short retention periods, so early written notice matters.

What to do this week

Find the trooper's card and write down the NHP crash number, the crash date and the trooper's name.
After 7 days, request the report through NHP's crash report page; pay the $10 fee and save a copy.
Call NHP Southern Command at (702) 668-4100, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to ask about crash photos.
From your photos, note the trucking company's name, the truck and trailer numbers, and anything painted on the cab door.
Look the company up on FMCSA's free SAFER Company Snapshot, which searches by USDOT number, MC number or company name.
Keep every medical record and bill, and track missed work.
Put the 2-year injury deadline on your calendar (NRS 11.190(4)(e)).

Frequently asked questions

What if city police, not NHP, came to my freeway crash?

Then request the report from the agency named on the officer's card or report number. Each valley agency has its own request process, fees and wait time. If a report is slow to arrive, our post on getting a police report after an auto accident covers how to follow up.

Can anyone get an NHP crash report?

NHP's crash report page asks for the crash number, the last name of an involved party and the crash date. Fatal crash reports are handled through the regional office instead.

Does the trucking company get a copy of the police report?

Interstate carriers must keep copies of accident reports required by state or other government agencies or by insurers in their accident register for 3 years (49 CFR 390.15(b)). They must also make accident records available to federal and authorized state investigators (49 CFR 390.15(a)).

Will a trucking inspector look at the truck after the crash?

Not necessarily. NHP's Commercial Enforcement Section enforces the trucking laws, but NHP says Nevada has no permanent fixed inspection facilities and uses roving enforcement and temporary sites, so what happens after a given crash varies.

How much insurance does the truck have to carry?

For-hire interstate trucks of 10,001 pounds or more carrying ordinary freight must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage, with higher amounts for hazardous materials (49 CFR 387.9). The details are in how much insurance a semi truck carries.

Who can be held responsible besides the truck driver?

Often the trucking company, and sometimes others such as a loader or maintenance shop, depending on the facts. Read who is liable in a truck accident in Nevada.

Where would a lawsuit be filed?

Injury cases over $15,000 from a valley crash generally start in the Eighth Judicial District Court at the Regional Justice Center, 200 Lewis Avenue. The county's agencies and courts are listed on our Clark County accident page.

If you were hurt in a crash with a truck on a Las Vegas freeway, attorney Maysoun Fletcher can help you sort out the reports, the trucking company and the insurers. Call 702-333-6339 for a free consultation, available 24/7.