6Sep“Nuclear verdicts.” “Reptile courtroom tactics.” Billboard attorneys are assaulting the trucking industry through litigation, with multi-million-dollar awards becoming more and more common. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) documents and studies the impact of litigation on trucking, tracking both large and small but numerous verdicts. Now the U.S. Chamber of
17JulRecently, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) aired a “Frontline” report on “America’s Dangerous Trucks.” The television program focused on an investigation by ProPublica into car-truck accidents where the passenger vehicle underrides the truck chassis, often resulting in fatalities. ProPublica indicated the simple requirement that truck trailers have side underride guards
15JunThe Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is undertaking a new study of the causes behind commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes. The agency released the last such study in 2006, based on data from 2001-2003. In the Infrastructure Bill signed into law in late 2021, Congress directed FMCSA to conduct
18MayThe PrePass Insider newsletter is your monthly digest of trucking news and everything PrePass. Not subscribed to this newsletter? Subscribe now. Truckers Beware! CBD Use May Cause Career Altering Side Effects Sales of products containing CBD are soaring across the country, topping more than $4 billion in 2022. Advocates claim using
8MayThe mission statement of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is to “reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.” FMCSA undertakes that mission largely by identifying motor carriers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers with safety records that indicate they need attention or even intervention. FMCSA determines
1MayHighway safety is not a game show, but, in many ways, truck accidents bear a surprising resemblance to the television game show Jeopardy! – Advance preparation is key The challenges keep coming Wrong responses can bring severe penalties In the new PrePass whitepaper, “How to Prevent a Truck Crash from
16NovA jackpot justice system has caused nuclear verdicts against trucking companies to escalate. In fact, nuclear verdicts—those verdicts over $10 million—against trucking companies have skyrocketed 967% in the last 15 years, according to research from the American Transportation Research Institute. “That is pretty frightening. These verdicts outpace increases in health
9JunA recent report shows U.S. traffic fatalities hit a 16-year high in 2021, up 10.5% from the year before. Early analysis from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 42,915 people perished in motor vehicle crashes last year compared to 38,824 fatalities in 2020. Forty-four states, the District
2DecThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released a report showing the largest six-month increase ever recorded for traffic fatalities. It estimated 20,160 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of 2021, up 18.4% compared to the first six months of 2020. Secretary of Transportation Pete
11NovMany motor carriers delay development of crash preventability determination programs out of fear of potential liability or the lack of bandwidth to manage them. But with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration establishing an official program of its own, many carriers are giving it a second thought. Watch this PrePass
21JanThe fourth in a series of PrePass whitepapers about how motor carriers can improve their safety records addresses two important measures: how safely drivers perform and how often and why crashes occur. FMCSA regards the Unsafe Driving and the Crash Indicator BASICs, along with the Hours of Service Compliance BASIC,
23JulIn March of this year, a small family-owned trucking company in Arkansas went out of business. The reason? A nuclear verdict and the resulting hike in its insurance rates. No matter that the carrier owned only the trailer involved in the crash and had brokered the load to another trucking
