Fleeting Conversations

Thermonuclear Jury Verdicts, A Breakdown

Matthew Leffler Episode 75

Safely delivering freight on time & undamaged is difficult even under the best of circumstances. And while professional driving is among the most common jobs in the US, it remains among the most dangerous. But it's getting harder. Much harder.

Everyday we see news of nuclear verdicts. These verdicts are among the largest concerns for truckers & motor carriers. They impact everyone: from shippers to brokers to motor carriers to consumers. While not a legal term, nuclear verdicts generally describe any verdict exceeding $10M. 

These are not those verdicts.

Increasingly the trucking industry is facing verdicts exceeding $100M. Manufacturers, trucking companies, and, without Supreme Court intervention, brokerages, now see the dire situation unfolding before them. I have taken to characterizing these as thermonuclear verdicts: judgments that exceed $100M. 

Judgments that will bankrupt nearly anyone that touches them.  Woe be to the transportation industry. If you're not paying attention yet, you will be.

Where will I be next?

I will be at Freightwaves' F3: Future of Freight Festival, Nov. 19th-21st in Chattanooga!

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