Armchair Attorney® Podcast

Should I Panic? The US supply chain faces ongoing volatility from global conflicts, intensified regulatory pressures, & persistently low freight volumes. Escalating Middle East tensions, including US-Israel strikes on Iran & related disruptions, have delayed any large-scale return of container shipping to the Red Sea, forcing rerouting around Africa, higher surcharges, & increased costs for energy, commodities, & imports. Domestically, freight demand remains subdued after 20...

The U.S. government took two big steps to fix problems with truck drivers who live outside the country. One is a new rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDL), which tightens rules on who can hold a commercial driver’s license. The other, Delilah’s Law, is a new Senate bill that proposes even stricter nationwide changes. The bill is named after Dalilah Coleman who was five yea...

Who would have guessed that a panel about law & insurance would electrify the attendees at ACT Research Co.? I, for one, expected it. For 40 years, ‪ACT Research Co. has brought the trucking industry together to anticipate change and chart its future. What's more, ACT Research Co. recently hosted its 74th Market Vitals: The Current & Future Health of the Industry Seminar in Columbus, IN. The event marked a special milestone of 40 years delivering commercial vehicle and freight marke...

In Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, argued on Wednesday, March 4, the court considers whether a federal law initially designed to deal with state trucking regulations supersedes state common-law claims holding freight brokers liable for negligently selecting dangerous motor carriers or drivers. That may not sound particularly fascinating, but the issue before the court, which involves the scope of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994, could have broad liabilit...

The case asks whether the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA) preempts state negligence claims against freight brokers for carelessly selecting unsafe motor carriers or drivers. The crash happened December 7, 2017, on Interstate 70 in Illinois. Missouri truck driver Shawn Montgomery had pulled his 2015 Mack truck onto the shoulder for mechanical repairs. While standing outside, he was struck from behind by a speeding 1995 Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by Yo...