Currently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires commercial vehicles that engage in interstate commerce to maintain a minimum of $750,000 in liability insurance coverage. Congress passed 49 U.S.C. § 31139 in 1994 requiring that $750,000 be the minimum limit. The amount required has not changed in almost 27 years. However, in June 2020, the […]
In our last article, we discussed the status and potential impact of AB5, a law recently passed in California which went into effect on January 1, 2020, addressing the classification of certain workers. By way of review, prior to AB5’s passage, the decision on whether a worker should be classified as an employee or an […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate has reduced hours-of-service (HOS) violations by 50% since the initial rule took effect in December 2017. Over 8.8 million roadside inspections were conducted since that time with less than 1.25% resulting in citations for HOS violations or for failure to […]
One issue that has come up numerous times in the setting of the trucking and transportation industries is the classification of workers as either employees or independent contractors. Concerned with workers who werebeing misclassified as independent contractors and who were not getting the benefits afforded to employees, the State of California passed a law, which […]
In my last article, I explained the benefits forward facing video camera systems may have on litigation expenses for commercial motor carriers and insurance companies. However, as the saying goes, not everything is as good as it seems. Even though the implementation of forward facing video cameras does have its benefits, it also creates the […]
On 9/29/20, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) final rule updating Hours of Service (HOS) regulations takes effect for normal, nonexempt operation. The key provisions include: Extend on-duty time by 2-hours for adverse weather; Extend the “short haul” exception from 100 air-mile radius to 150 miles and increase allowable drive time from 12 hours […]
“The eye sees all, but the mind shows us what we want to see.” – William Shakespeare The rise of technology forces insurance companies, like other companies,to adapt. Upon first thought, advances in technology should streamline claim handling and the litigation process insurance companies endure. From a 10,000-foot view, technology has already made it easier […]
On 5/01/20, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a change to the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program and Safety Measurement System (SMS) that will permanently exclude no-fault crashes when calculating a carrier’s safety score. Effective immediately, if the FMCSA determines that a crash was not preventable,it will no longer be included in the carrier’s […]
In our last post, we discussed the issues posed by ERISA liens and how the presence of an ERISA lien can complicate a potential settlement. Another similar issue that complicates settlements is the potential presence of a Medicare lien. This applies to workers’ compensation and liability cases. The Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSPA), 42 U.S.C. […]
On 3/13/20, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an unprecedented national emergency declaration to provide hours of service (HOS) relief to drivers transporting goods needed to respond to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Those commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operations exempted include those meeting needs for: Medical supplies and equipment related to testing, diagnosis and treatment […]
