Today’s trucking cases require knowledge of common law negligence, current trucking caselaw wrongful death and tort reform statutes, as well as expertise with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, hours of service issues, and many other facets of the trucking industry and regulatory environment. Butler Snow’s Trucking Group handles complex litigation in defense of trucking companies in a wide array of areas, including catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death claims, commercial litigation, freight and property claims, regulatory compliance, and labor and employment.
Our Trucking attorneys bring vast experience to the practice of defending motor vehicle accidents involving tractor/trailers. We represent self-insured trucking companies and truck leasing companies, their insurers, and their drivers. Our Trucking group maintains a 24-hour Accident Investigation Team for emergency response to accidents in which our clients’ vehicles are involved. As a result, our trucking lawyers are on call and ready at any time to visit the accident scene in order to help lay the groundwork for a careful investigation and vigorous claim defense.
We are also experienced with the criminal law and procedures which are sometimes associated with trucking cases, and can easily draw upon the resources and expertise of our lawyers who practice in the criminal arena.
Our firm takes a proactive, responsive approach that involves close communication with the trucking company, its insurers and claims administrators, private investigators, law enforcement personnel, witnesses and experts. We strive to present the strongest defense possible, blending our substantial trial experience with the latest technology, computer animations and graphics, and rock solid expert testimony.
We have offices located in several major transportation hubs, and we regularly handle trucking accidents across the Southeastern United States. Our clients include interstate trucking companies, motor coach businesses, hazardous material transporters, and independent contractors who are involved in transporting goods and people. We are select counsel for several national carriers and/or transportation companies, and are approved counsel for various insurance companies who specialize in transportation cases. Our trucking lawyers also regularly represent local, in-state haulers.
Our longstanding, deep involvement with the transportation industry has helped us stay abreast of the latest developments, including use of global positioning devices and electronic data recorders that are now commonly found in automobiles, as well as in tractors. We have a large network of accident investigators, reconstructionists and transportation experts who lend their experience to our clients’ cases.
Our Trucking Group regularly distributes and shares information of new developments in trucking law, and maintains a database of expert witnesses, as well as various trucking research materials and publications. In addition, many of our trucking attorneys are active in the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA), the ABA TIPS Commercial Transportation Committee, and similar organizations, and are frequent lecturers and authors on issues unique to the Trucking Industry.
Our Trucking Group regularly distributes and shares information of new developments in trucking law, and maintains a database of expert witnesses, as well as various trucking research materials and publications. In addition, many of our trucking attorneys are active in the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA), the ABA TIPS Commercial Transportation Committee, and similar organizations, and are frequent lecturers and authors on issues unique to the Trucking Industry.
Highlights
- Smith v. The Waggoners Trucking, Leflore County, MS (defense verdict 2012).
- Westbrook v. Jackson Public Transportation, Inc. (JATRAN), Hinds County, MS (defense verdict 2012).
- Frequent lecturers and articles on pertinent issues within the transportation industry, including:
- “Evidentiary Issues in Trucking Litigation,” Harmonie Group – Trucking & Transportation Industry Seminar, Springdale, Arkansas.
- “Use of Technology in Accident Investigation,” Harmonie Group Spring Conference – Transportation Seminar.
- “Trucking Liability – Accident Investigation, ECM Evidence, Common Legal Issues, and Strategy,” Performance Food Group, National Safety Meeting.
- “What’s in the Black Box? Using Data from Car and Truck EDRs,” Harmonie Group Chicago Transportation Seminar; Harmonie Group Dallas Transportation Seminar; Harmonie Group Phoenix Transportation Seminar.
