Reptile Theory: A History and 5 Ways to Win Before Trial
While many factors have contributed to the rise of Nuclear Verdicts, the most prominent has been the spread of “reptile theory” as a strategy employed by the plaintiff’s bar.In this eBook, we discuss how: Reptile theory was first used and later took the trucking industry by storm Plaintiff’s attorneys use the strategy against fleets in court Fleets can get ahead of reptile theory before it’s too late
September 1, 2021Strategies Exist to Protect Internal Safety Data From Plaintiffs’ Attorneys, Experts Say
When a trucking fleet conducts an internal investigation after one of its drivers is involved in a crash, the results can help to improve safety both for the company and the individual driver. But if a plaintiff attorney gains access to that internal post-accident analysis, the information it contains can turn that company’s good intentions into an element of a legal case that leads to a multimillion dollar jury verdict.
April 21, 2021Arkansas Carrier Forced to Close After Multimillion-Dollar Ruling
Over Valentine’s Day dinner last year, Randy Clifton and his wife, Karyn, decided the fate of the trucking company that had been Randy’s pride and joy for a decade. Unfortunately, they had to close down.
March 24, 2021Perspective: Let Your Voice Bring About Change
When the laws governing the trucking business inevitably change, those who show up and speak up can help bring change for the better.
November 22, 2019Perspective: Putting Safety Above ‘Misclassification’
A recent effort in a state legislature illustrates how trial lawyers’ zeal to preserve rules that limit a carrier’s control over an independent owner-operator — specifically, as it relates to motor carrier deployment of safety technologies — threatens to impede progress in trucking safety.
July 8, 2019USDA General Counsel Opinion: States Can’t Prohibit Hemp Transportation
While states and American Indian tribes currently can regulate the lawful production and sale of hemp produced under a 2014 law, they may not prohibit the interstate transportation or shipment of the product grown under a program authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a new legal opinion issued by USDA’s general counsel.
May 29, 2019Appeals Court Blocks TransAm Trucking Satellite Communications Fee
A U.S. Appeals Court has ruled in a class action case that TransAm Trucking Inc.'s leasing unit illegally charged owner-operators a $15 weekly fee to use the carrier’s satellite communications system.
October 19, 2016Judge Rejects Most Claims in Ohio Turnpike Lawsuit
A federal judge in Ohio has dismissed all but one of seven claims asserted in a legal challenge against a plan by the Ohio Turnpike to use $930 million in toll revenue to pay for nonturnpike highway and construction projects.
September 7, 2015ATA Files Brief in Support of Penske Meal Break Case
American Trucking Associations and Airlines for America on Feb. 9 filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a request by Penske Logistics that the high court overturn an appeals court decision upholding California’s meal-break law.
February 10, 2015STB to Review Whether Calif. Rail Idling Plan Violates Federal Interstate Commerce Law
The Surface Transportation Board is stepping into a California rail dispute by announcing its intention to decide whether a federal interstate commerce law prevents a local agency from advancing its plan to reduce locomotive idling.
March 10, 2014