Legal issues

Car ended up under big rig, but Ace and truck’s driver win in court.

Chaves, ex-owner of CAT Transportation Inc., is awaiting sentencing in another federal case after pleading guilty to falsifying DOT records, bank fraud, identity theft and tax evasion in August 2019.

Brian Fielkow writes about what companies in logistics and freight should be doing to end racial discrimination and inequality.

The 1920 Merchant Marine Act authorizes the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to investigate and penalize foreign governments with ocean shipping regulations that discriminate against U.S. trade.

Tricky wording in one provision may scuttle the entire effort to deal with a widely acknowledged problem

Focusing on risk management can help protect fleets from the pain of paying massive damages.

Divided federal appeals court revived CRST’s driver-poaching lawsuit against TransAm

Saiz is lawyer with Rodey firm, needs Senate confirmation

State Attorney General used new price gouging law to go after A1

Litigious society wants someone to pay for coronavirus-related business losses

Leasing companies say a neutral chassis pool lacks incentive to invest the tens of millions of dollars each year to maintain viable chassis equipment.

$26.5 million ‘nuclear verdict’ stands in fatal road-rage crash in Oregon

Abduvosit Razikov, chief executive of DM World, who was individually named in the breach-of-contract lawsuit, isn’t new to the trucking industry, having started at least four companies in Florida since 2008.

U.S. Federal Maritime Commission finds sufficient credibility in Lake Carriers’ Association petition to support invoking rarely used 1920 Merchant Marine Act investigative authority.

Attorneys representing plaintiffs in the legal action say they’ve got a binder full of cases.


Newsom order assumes if you have it, you caught it at work.

“Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star allegedly spent $1.5 million on things such as jewelry, child support

Drone technology provider to UPS Flight Forward aims for unmanned aircraft systems certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

Former trucking company owner slapped with 15-month prison sentence for wire fraud

Action is five years after a refining unit exploded, sending gasoline prices higher.

ATA intermodal group alleges $1.8 billion in haulage overcharges

Driver said pay should include tank wash revenues in the base, but he didn’t say it fast enough

The family of a Wyoming man killed in a head-on tractor-trailer crash has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver and trucking company

Small fleets file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in April

Service contract negotiations between container carriers and shippers are being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission says.

Moseley Marcinak review some legal trucking issues arising from COVID-10.

Drone use for package deliveries is expected to remain largely grounded by regulatory and infrastructural hurdles during the next few years, according to Frost and Sullivan.

TrueNorth’s Cook sees low returns, premium income dropping and more “selectivity” from underwriters.

The Justice Department said joint logistics operations among five American medical supply distributors to provide protective medical gear to virus hot spots does not violate antitrust law.

CEVA and DHL free themselves from contractual constraints to realign operations and facilitate pricing flexibility during pandemic.

“The impact of these nuclear verdicts, as well as higher insurance costs, could send more carriers out of business,” said Zach Strickland.

UNIX Line’s tanker, Zao Galaxy, discharged the contaminated water overboard in early 2019 during a voyage between the Philippines and California’s Port of Richmond.

A lawsuit, seeking class action status, was filed against TQL over its recent data breach.

Lev Aslan Dermen was convicted on multiple charges involving business connections to brothers Jacob and Isaiah Kingston, who were convicted in 2018 for their role in a massive biodiesel tax scheme.

Attorney general argues federal rule does not preempt law impacting independent contractors.

“As an industry representing brands and retailers, we do not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains,” said five large U.S. apparel and footwear associations.

The companies that control the bulk of ocean cargo opearte under different rules than most companies. Read Darren Prokop’s explanation of why that is…

The UN Human Rights Council has developed a database identifying companies that conduct business with Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Darren Prokop writes about California’s AB 5 and its impact in California – and nationwide.

Matthew Taylor of Shintan Inc. was ordered by the U.S. Department of Justice to pay back $7.5 million in illicit tax credits obtained from the IRS.

The federal court affirmed an earlier decision by the Court of International Trade, despite a challenge from the American Institute for International Steel claiming the president overstepped his authority.

Unix Line admitted that its tanker, Zao Galaxy, illegally discharged oily bilge at sea while on route from the Philippines to California’s Port of Richmond in late January 2019.

U.S. export licenses are required for numerous types of highly infectious diseases that are shared in the form of samples for medical research between labs around the world.

Transporting legal marijuana and related products remains difficult. Learn why in this article.

The Justice Department said the former owners of Road Tire Plus Corp. in South Florida avoided paying federal tax on tire imports.

A federal judge recently ordered Zach and Garrett Barber to forfeit more than $1.3 million in funds they derived in an elaborate 11-year “chameleon carrier” scheme.

CRST, U.S. Xpress also support petition to review decision awarding $54.6 million to drivers.

Airbus will pay penalties in France, the U.S. and U.K. for using go-betweens to bribe airlines and governments to buy Airbus products.

Ben Thrower writes about the increased use of cargo ships to smuggle drugs.

U.S. Justice Department announced the arrest of Harvard University’s chemistry department chair on charges of lying about financial and research connections to the Chinese government.

Owner-operator group calls decision “highway robbery.”

Hey hey hey, welcome to the workin’ weekend! We never hesitate to jump right in and hit you with the headlines: TA Logistics claims Celadon was insolvent in late November […]

Labor department’s ‘newfound powers’ means new hazards for companies that use independent contractors.

Truck owner claims his employer and Amazon worked him “like a rented mule.”

Walmart argues that jury took things too literally in awarding back pay to California drivers

Trucking insurance continues to get more expensive. Chris Henry and Daniel Pickett provide information about captive insurance agencies.

Rob Moseley is an attorney at Moseley Marciniak in South Carolina. He’s defends trucking companies in the courtroom, and he’s watched as verdicts against trucking companies have been soaring. Is […]

Ben Thrower examines the issues surrounding California’s AB-5, which impacts truckers who are independent contractors.

It isn’t clear how long the temporary order will be in effect but plaintiffs seem happy that it will be replaced with something longer-lasting.

Seth Holm of FreightWaves Freight Intel Group writes about the impact of nuclear verdicts on the trucking industry. Will 2020 be a tipping point for these huge awards?

Happy top of the weekend! Thanks for making us a part of the backhaul of your week, and boy do we have some news for you. First, we hit the […]

Legal battle in California is pulling trucking in different directions

No specific trucking reference in the governor’s State of the State, but calls current situation a “scam.”

Experts say reversal of penalty related to U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control won’t hinder its broader enforcement activities.

Investors in U.S.-based FreightGuru.com bilked out of $800,000, authorities allege.

Importing and selling counterfeit Native American-style jewelry violates the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

We kick off the week with headlines involving major trucking crashes in Pennsylvania and Indiana, the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse websites opening day struggles. Don’t worry, though, if you’re trying […]

Federal appeals court panel upholds district court ruling that Walmart must pay California drivers additional wages for non-driving time

The Jones Act has been in effect for nearly 100 years. Read about its pros and cons in this commentary by Darren Prokop.

Trump’s influence over new agency chief could lead to service overhaul in 2020.

U.S. enforcement agencies are turning up the heat on Chinese nationals who illicitly obtain and attempt to smuggle American-made technologies back to China.

Random testing increase to 50% expected to boost clearinghouse activity.

The restraining order suggests the court looks kindly on the argument that a federal law preempts AB5.

The flatbed and oil field service carrier was subject to a class action lawsuit for not paying overtime.

The carrier operated in two markets that have suffered in 2019: flatbed and oil service.

A record Australian fine of A$125 million ($86.2 million) has been imposed on Volkswagen because of its false emissions statements.

British transport associations call on Prime Minister Johnson to quickly agree a future trading arrangement with the European Union.

Assembly Bill 5 limits companies from classifying workers as independent contractors rather than employees to save operational expenses.

Despite extensive general reporting to the contrary, a trio who imported a massive quantity of illegal drugs were not customs brokers or trusted traders.

A plaintiff’s attorney in the case of a vehicular accident may sic the trucking company for allowing Fido to ride along.

Port operator TasPorts allegedly sought to block a rival towage operator from offering a new service, according to new court filings.

Expert explains why shippers based in the U.S. and beyond should prepare urgently for the worst-case scenario – a no-deal Brexit in 2020.

A U.S. man living in Singapore illegally presented technical information at the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in April on how North Korea can use blockchain technology to evade sanctions.

Grass might be greener in Keystone state rather than Garden state as new law puts new risk on motor carriers.

Shipments of counterfeit driver’s licenses and blank card stock were discovered and seized by Customs and Border Protection officers at Louisville and Memphis mail facilities.

Mark Lambert, who served as co-president of nuclear materials transport specialist TLI, will be sentenced by the District Court of Maryland on March 9, 2020.

The survey covers just the states of the Southeast but the numbers are still sobering,.

Bill would require DOT to make assault and harassment incidents publicly available.

A truck parking fees scam has landed former logistics supervisor Chow Chi-yeung, 42, of Hong Kong, with a sentence of 160 hours of community service.

Judge agrees that evidence of use of rate quote software in pricing was not included in first trial.

New Jersey is the newest battleground for motor carriers that use owner-operators, as the state Senate takes up legislation aimed at limiting what workers can be considered independent contractors. On […]

One of the biggest U.S. shippers put increasingly tough terms on carrier, leading to lawsuit.

False submission of shipment information in the U.S. government’s Automated Export System helps sink scheme to smuggle military-style inflatable boats and engines to China, according to officials.

The U.S. Justice Department said Peter Sotis, former owner of Florida-based Add Helium, is accused of smuggling rebreather equipment without an export license to the war-torn country.

Backers seek to put ballot initiative to state voters with aim to redefine independent contractor drivers.

Tribunal rules $6 billion class action against manufacturers DAF, Daimler/Mercedes, Iveco, MAN and Volvo/Renault can proceed.

Francis Alvarez, who operated a forwarding service in Houston, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for violating the Sherman Act.

The Wise Honest illegally transported coal on behalf of the North Korean regime from November 2016 to April 2018.

Nearly all maritime kidnappings and hostage-takings in the nine months to the end of September this year took place in or near the Gulf of Guinea, said global maritime piracy watchdog the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

This is another in a series of videos produced by FreightWaves and SmartDrive, recorded at the recent SmartDrive Customer Conference in Atlanta. FreightWaves editor-at-large John Kingston discussed several key issues […]

Brexit is now only two weeks away but the dangers facing truckers and shippers continue to mount.