The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is gearing up to fight against multimillion-dollar legal awards against truckers and their employers who are not at fault but blamed in many car-truck crashes.
“We’re fed up,” ATA President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Spear told members October 7 at the association’s Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego. “I’m sick of playing defense while trial lawyers buy jets and yachts at the expense of trucking jobs. These ‘nuclear’ verdicts are strangling our industry.”
Two-thirds of the accidents involving trucks are caused by passenger vehicles, Spear said.
“If a car going the opposite direction veers out of control, crosses the median and crashes into a truck going 25 mph below the speed limit and is brought to a controlled stop after the collision, you shouldn’t have to pay $90 million for a tragedy your driver didn’t cause!”
Yet the number of trucking fatalities through 2017 was a 29-year high, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Speeding and failure to wear seat belts contributed to deaths in many of the crashes, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
A weed problem
The legalization of marijuana in 11 states, Washington, D.C. and Canada could be the next cudgel used against truckers, Spear said.
“You can just see the trial lawyers – sitting on the edge of their high, wing-back leather chairs – drooling over the thought of more legal ambiguity,” Spear said in his speech. “We can’t just sit back and hand them yet another opportunity to litigate our industry.”
The association scheduled the initial meeting of its Controlled Substances, Health and Wellness Subcommittee during the convention. The goal, Spear said, is creating a trucking-led policy platform that helps lawmakers and regulators make informed decisions about the impact of substance abuse on safety and interstate commerce.
The ATA also will continue to press federal agencies to allow hair follicle testing in place of urine testing for drug use and have those results included in the FMCSA’s commercial driver’s license Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse that begins operating in January 2020. The database will contain information on violations of the controlled substances and alcohol testing program.
By the numbers
The U.S. trucking industry spends more than $10 billion each year on safety, including technology, training and compliance “all part of a concerted effort to save lives, not our bottom line,” Spear said.
Trucking employment exceeds 7.8 million people or one in 16 jobs in the U.S. Trucks move more than 71% of domestic freight.
RICKY N/A DAVIS
I need ATA NOW. I have a person trying to sue me when I was involved in an accident in November of 2018. Neither of was put at fault but he’s trying to sue me for damages to his car. ATA please get in touch with me. [email protected].
Michael
Hair follicle that’s crap, a drug from 5 6 years ago shows up no more job ever in trucking to invasive
Hardy Sanders
I was in an accident many years ago the first thing they did was take me downtown give me all kind of drug test and everything else they were trying to blame me but the girl who was 16 it was a suicide she came over on my lane I tried to avoid her she hit me that still haunts me to this day
CHRIS ROOD
These dang lawyers should be sued, for profiling and discrimination.
I can’t stand the ads that call truck drivers out like they intentionally run over some idiot in a car, that does something stupid causing wrecks with trucks.
Dave
We also need to get Congress to enact a law, requiring any law suite brought against someone who was not at fault to be thrown out of court. Also with a warning to lawyers of steep penalties for bringing such frivolous law suits to begin with.
Scott McMillan
Find something better to do than worrying about truckers! Are they not being controlled enough!!!!!
D
Well finally something I can get behind that the anti trucker’s assoc is pushing.
Kevin Sarver
About damn time!
TONYA SCHAFER
THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP FOR US TRUCKERS – #GOD BLESS YOU