UPS Orders Tesla Electric Big Rigs – One Step Closer to Driverless Semis
12/22/17
By: Wayne S. Melnick
Last month, Tesla Motors announced that it was taking its electronic vehicle technology one step further with the unveiling of the Electric Semi Truck . If the numbers are to be believed, the Tesla Semi not …
Debate Over the ELD Mandate Intensifies
10/6/17
By: Parker M. Green
The debate over mandatory ELDs continues to intensify as the December 18th compliance deadline approaches. With less than 75 days until the deadline (FMG’s compliance countdown), some truck drivers are now resorting to desperate …
U.S. House of Representatives Preparing to Vote on a Proposed 2-year Delay of the ELD Mandate
9/6/17
By: Parker M. Green
The House could vote on a proposed 2-year delay of the ELD Mandate as soon as this afternoon. U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) introduced the proposal – known as the “ELD Extension Act of 2017” – …
Efforts to Postpone ELD Mandate Build Momentum
7/20/17
By: Parker M. Green
Legislative efforts are underway that could end up delaying the December 18, 2017 compliance deadline with the electronic logging device (“ELD”) mandate. The transportation law practice group recently created a countdown clock to the compliance deadline, …
Federal Mandate for Electronic Logging Devices Upheld in U.S. Court of Appeals’ Ruling
11/3/16
By: Parker M. Green
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s mandate requiring most commercial truck drivers to use electronic logging devices (ELD) survived its strongest legal challenge to date when the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals voted unanimously to …
U.S. DOT Issues Guidelines for Self-Driving Vehicles
9/27/16
By: Wes Jackson
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation ushered in the long-anticipated future of transportation with guidelines for “autonomous vehicles,” or self-driving cars (available here). The policy guidance focuses primarily on “highly automated vehicles,” (“HAVs”) or those …
Driver Risk Management Systems (DRMs) May Be Double-Edged Sword in Trucking Accident Litigation
9/2/16
By: Barry Brownstein
What if you could watch a trucking accident that is the subject of complex litigation that could result in millions of dollars in damages? What if you could watch the driver’s conduct minutes or seconds before the …
How Fast is Too Fast? Federal Agencies Propose Speed Limiter Rule for Heavy Vehicles
9/1/16
By: Wesley C. Jackson
Federal regulators have proposed that heavy commercial vehicles be equipped with speed-limiting devices to cap the vehicles’ speed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed the new …
Hair Follicle Testing for Truck Drivers
6/15/16
By: Marc Bardack and Matthew Grattan
In December 2015, President Obama signed The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, a law allowing motor carriers to test a driver’s hair follicles during pre-employment and random drug screens. Although some companies, including …
Change In 34-Hour Restart Rules Appears Likely
5/24/16
By: Marc Bardack
Last week, the Senate passed a transportation funding bill providing for a change in hours of service rules for truck drivers. The change proposed in the bill depends on the outcome of a currently pending safety fitness …
Can You Hear (or See) Me Now? No, and that May Constitute Spoliation
2/24/16
By: Andy Treese
The Georgia Court of Appeals recently held that a municipality may be subject to sanctions for failure to preserve audio recordings of a police pursuit when the recordings were destroyed in the ordinary course of business before …
The Pros and Cons of Emerging Trucking Apps
9/30/15
By: Matt Grattan and Kevin Stone
Emerging smart phone apps promise to transform the trucking business by offering trucking companies and truck drivers opportunities to maximize capacity, minimize time spent at weigh stations and inspection sites, and improve navigational assistance. …