Western Motor Carrier Safety Institute, Inc.

Western Motor Carrier Safety Institute, Inc. was founded by V. Paul Herbert in 1990.

The institute is based in Quincy, CA and serves the western USA including California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

Services include:

• Motor Carrier Safety and Compliance
• Litigation Consulting
• Claims Administration
• Accident Reconstruction and Analysis
• Forklift Training and Certification

Interview with V. Paul Herbert - September 2009

Q: Tell us about your experiences that led up to you working as an expert witness.

V. Paul Herbert:  "One of the things that my customers like about me is my varied background. I started out as a truck driver when I was really young and drove truck for several years.

"Then I went to work for the Nevada Highway Patrol as a state trooper, and because of my trucking background—I had quite a bit of expertise in trucking, air brake systems, things like that—I was able to do a lot with the Nevada Highway Patrol in the way of truck and bus safety, dealing with air brake safety and accident investigation.

"Then my career took a different direction. I decided to combine my truck driving experience with my law enforcement experience and work in the trucking industry again, but this time in a safety management capacity.

"I worked for the California Trucking Association in their safety department and did that for several years.

"Then I was offered a job by a large trucking company as their Director of Safety and Personnel and I did that for a few years.

"Following that I was accepted a job as general manager of a smaller trucking company and I did that for a year until I started my own business as a transportation safety consultant.

"My background is really helpful for being an expert witness because I have a lot of hands on experience as a truck driver, law enforcement experience, and then working in safety management positions in the trucking industry.

Q:  What should a client look for when considering hiring an expert witness?

Call—530 281-6565
or 800 875-7389

VPH: "The number one qualification is—'Is this expert really qualified to be in front of a jury and try to explain to them that he actually knows the industry and has experience in the industry, and is not just making up something because an attorney wants him to say something?'

"I guess the most important thing they should know is how qualified the expert is—which would include the experience and background we just talked about.

"One of the things that sets me apart from some of the other experts that I work with in the same capacity is that I continue to go to seminars, courses, things like that, in the area of commercial motor vehicle safety.

"For example next week I'm attending for about the 4th time a four-day air brake school in Reno put on by the Bendix Corporation.

"I've been there 3 times before but I like to go about every 4 years to keep up to speed on things.

"I'm seeing a couple of my competitors start doing that, but they haven’t for years, and several of them don't do anything in the way of education—trying to improve their knowledge base.

"And another thing that a lot of them don't do is—I try to keep my finger on the pulse of the industry. A lot of these conferences I go to are where the nuts and bolts of the commercial vehicle safety are discussed and industry decisions are made.

"For example the California Trucking Association. I’m actively involved in their safety management council.

"The American Trucking Association. I’m actively involved in their safety management council including being a member of their accident review committee.

"And then also the North American Transportation Management Institute. You’ll find that on my CV. I’ve been a member for years and I’ve instructed many of their courses.

"I keep abreast of everything that I can that will help me understand more what the industry best practices are—state of the art instrumentation and equipment."

530 281-6565
800 875-7389

Related Pages

About V. Paul Herbert

Curriculum Vitae

Truck Safety Expert - HOME PAGE