The Daily Dash: $411 million nuclear verdict; holiday shipping delays

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, a Florida jury has awarded an injury victim $411 million in a judgment against a single-truck operation. Plus, a lack of freight capacity has some worrying about holiday shipping delays and Toyota and Hino will bring a Class 8 fuel-cell electric truck to the U.S. next year.

Florida jury makes a statement

A Florida jury has handed down a $411 million judgment against a single-truck motor carrier that is alleged to have caused a 45-vehicle pileup in 2018. The award is believed to be the largest single verdict against a single-truck company in U.S. history.

John Kingston has more on what led to the verdict: Whopping $411 million nuclear verdict in Florida said to be biggest ever and tough to collect

Dude, where’s my truck?

A lack of capacity? Check. A new survey has found that transportation capacity is at record lows, and for those companies closest to the end consumer, it is setting up for a difficult peak season.

Todd Maiden has details on what to expect in Q4: Transportation capacity hits new lows, ‘no relief in sight’ for pricing

More fuel cell fun

Another fuel-cell electric truck is coming to the U.S., and this one is between two of the world’s biggest transportation entities. Toyota and Hino plan to test a Class 8 fuel cell truck next year.

Brian Straight has the details: Hino, Toyota bringing Class 8 fuel-cell truck to North America next year

Weather and trucking

Accurate weather forecasts have become a critical tool for the trucking industry as it moves freight around the country. The National Weather Service has become an indispensable tool for this purpose.

Nick Austin tells the story: Trucking and the National Weather Service