Lawsuit abuse reform tops list of trucking industry concerns

Lawsuit abuse reform ranks number three on the 2024 list of top industry concerns according to a study by the American Transportation Research Institute. 

The study was released by the ATRI on October 12th and ranks the economy as the number one industry concern, truck parking as number two, and lawsuit abuse reform as number three. Insurance cost and availability, along with driver compensation, were listed as the fourth and fifth top concerns. 

The Texas Trucking Association is one of the industry’s organizations that plans to make lawsuit reform one of its top priorities in 2025, reports the Rio Grande Guardian.

“Lawsuit abuse is really what we’re talking about,” said Dana C. Moore, the vice president of policy and governmental relations for the group. 

“How far do you have to drive down one of these [Texas] highways before you see a billboard with a plaintiff’s firm, a lawyer up there? Some of them I saw yesterday with big red gloves on and the word they like to use over and over in their advertisements is, fight. We fight, we fight. If we don’t win, you don’t have to pay anything,” Moore said.

“Well, you may think, that’s okay, and, truthfully, there are times when those folks are going to be needed. But think about this. What do you think is the number one reason why your insurance is going up?” Moore continued, citing the economy as one factor in the rise. 

“But primarily, insurance companies are raising rates because of the lawsuit environment, and it is terrible in Texas.”

“I will just let you know that that’s going to be our focus. The last thing I’ll say on lawsuit abuse is TXTA has joined with Texans for Lawsuit Reform and the Texas Food and Fuel Association, and now we have about almost 1,000 associations, companies, individuals that have joined in with this. It’s called the Lone Star Economic Alliance.”