Usually yes. When the driver was on the job, California law generally holds the trucking company responsible for the driver's negligence. Separately, the company can be directly liable for its own conduct: negligent hiring, inadequate training, unrealistic schedules that encourage hours-of-service violations, or skipped maintenance.

Pursuing the company matters practically too — commercial carriers carry much larger insurance policies than individual drivers, which is often what makes full compensation possible in serious injury cases.