President Obama has signed legislation killing the Transportation Department’s controversial test of longhaul cross-border trucking with Mexico. As a trucking safety trial attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, I haven’t yet seen problems with Mexican truckers but I do see truckers who don’t speak English although adequate English proficiency is required under…
Truck driver fatigue is one of the most obvious causes of truck crashes. Obstructive sleep apnea is among the most common contributing factors. Obesity is a big risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea. Now there is another study reconfirming the obvious: that obesity-driven testing strategies identify commercial truck drivers with…
Ray LaHood, the new US Secretary of Transportation, is apparently focused on infrastructure and air traffic control, but not so much on trucking safety. According to an Associated Press article by Michael Tarm, LaHood is preparing to meet with the state DOT chiefs from all 50 states about plans for…
If you specialize in truck wreck litigation so you can do research at truck stops, you might be a redneck lawyer. On a long car trip a couple of days ago, I stopped for caffeine at a truck stop that is part of one of the big national truck stop…
For years we have been hearing about a severe shortage of qualified over the road truck drivers, contributing to widespread safety concerns. Now the severe economic recession has cut into shipping volume, led to an ongoing consolidation of the trucking industry, and a glut of qualified drivers, as reported by…
Trucking safety lawyers as well as everyone else concerned about transportation issues needs to pay attention to personnel choices in the US Department of Transportation. You remember the old cliche that “personnel is policy.” Even an humble personal injury trial attorney handling trucking accident cases in Atlanta should be attentive.…
Taking a break from trucking accident litigation on the day after Christmas, I’m sitting at home in Atlanta, in a house where it seems everyone else is either sleeping or out bargain hunting, reading the news. A few quick notes on the news as it relates to the trucking industry…
Seldom does my trucking litigation practice as an attorney in Atlanta overlap with my semi-regular reading of Investors Business Daily. However, the issue for Monday, 12/22/08, includes an insightful article by J. Bonasia titled “Trucking Firms Shift Gears.” Some key points: * “A central part of the industry’s cost structure…
Bankruptcy (or mere shutdown) of 2,700 trucking companies in 2008 have put more than 127,000 trucks out of commission, cutting U.S. trucking capacity by 6.5 %, according to Donald Broughton, an analyst with the Avondale Partners research firm, as quoted by Mateusz Perkowski of Capital Press. In previous economic downturns,…
As an attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, handling litigation resulting from accidents involving motor carriers (truck, bus, tractor trailer, big rigs, etc.), I have observed with interest the controversies about the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in recent years. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see who is picked to…