Overdrive- A jury has awarded $604 million in damages against logistics giant C.H. Robinson, motor carrier Lupus Superior, and a truck driver following a 2021 multi-vehicle crash that killed three people and injured two others. The decision marks the first major trial outcome against a freight broker since a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May cleared the way for personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against brokers for negligent hiring practices.
Freight Waves- After almost two years of approving both renewals and new requests of drivers seeking an exemption from federal rules on driving despite a history of epilepsy, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in recent weeks has rejected two tranches of applicants.
Overdrive- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has advanced a long-stalled rulemaking effort to explore testing applicants for motor carrier authority before they get the green light to haul. The rulemaking's name, "New Entrant Safety Assurance Process: Implementation of Section 210(b) of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999," harkens back to almost three decades ago when Congress instructed DOT to tread carefully on new authorities.
Heavy Duty Trucking- The Trump administration is expanding the role of Homeland Security in truck safety enforcement. Agents from Immigration & Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations joined commercial motor vehicle inspectors in a multi-state roadside operation, July 28-30, that resulted in the arrest of 86 truck drivers and 766 out-of-service orders.
Transportation.gov- U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced a new interagency effort to attract more of America’s veterans into pursuing careers in trucking. The new initiative – called Freedom Haulers – is a hiring campaign that connects them with resources to seamlessly transition from service to driving a big rig.
DC Velocity- As a shortage of parking spots for trucks continues to challenge freight carriers, smartphone app provider Trucker Path has provided statistics showing where the problem is the most acute. On the flip side, the states with the most public parking include Michigan.
The Trucker- Twenty-five states sued the Trump administration last Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February.
Transport Topics- Trucking industry stakeholders are warning that the Faster Labor Contracts Act would reshape negotiations after the bill recently cleared the House and moved to the Senate. The bill mandates binding arbitration for parties in a labor contract that fail to reach a first agreement after 90 days of bargaining and 30 days of mediation.
