When lawsuits set your trucking insurance bill

Plus: Louisiana driver rewarded for 5M accident-free miles | Year of uncertainty

Insurance premiums are up 37% over the past decade, and ATRI’s new report makes the culprit hard to ignore: trucking lawsuits and “nuclear verdicts” that can reshape a fleet’s budget overnight.

The report breaks down what the findings mean for owners—including the uncomfortable reality that safety tech data meant to protect you is increasingly being used against fleets in court.

Plus, a sober look back at 2025 as a year of nonstop uncertainty, and a case study in how one mountain hauler is using smart technology and training to stay sharp in rough terrain.

But first, some video evidence of things drivers hate at truck stops.

⬇️ $3.665

AVG. COST OF DIESEL PER GALLON IN U.S. AS OF 12/08, DOWN -0.093¢

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

ROADSIDE READS

Hellscape? Is the American trucking industry really a "hellscape"? Yes, according to Craig Fuller of FreightWaves.

Data-driven. For all you image-driven executives, here's a snapshot of trucking costs in four charts (insurance, labor, equipment, diesel), courtesy of Trucking Dive.

Hard nut. Alabama driver Charles "Peanut" Pilkington survived an act of God in his rig in 2024, and it has given him a new perspective on his job and his life.

Lane change. Colorado state troopers are getting serious about keeping rigs out of the left lane on I-70. Watch for active patrols.

INDUSTRY VOICES

ATRI: Industry must solve nuclear verdicts problem

The cost of commercial trucking insurance has risen more than 37% over the past decade, and trucking litigation is a significant reason. This is one of several results of increased litigation involving big trucks, according to recently released research by the American Transportation Research Institute.

ATRI’s 60-page forensic analysis of trucking lawsuits spells out why the industry needs a multi-pronged approach, especially tort reform, to keep itself healthy. Fleets are also adopting more technology that generates more data, and they're seeing that data used against them in court.

Why this matters: The Institute for Legal Reform predicts that nuclear verdicts against commercial truckers will be one reason why food prices rise, and the results of rising insurance costs will affect the growth of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). Get the report here (Transport Topics, ATRI)

FAST LANE

KEY RETIREMENT: Congressman Troy Nehls (R-Texas), a key supporter of trucking legislation and initiatives, announced he will not run for re-election in 2026.

OVERSIZED EXEMPTION: Drivers of oversized loads have a new five-year exemption from a mandated 30-minute break.

ICE ARRESTS: Alabama law enforcement worked beside U.S. Immigration and Customs agents to detain 82 truckers in recent raids.

TRUCKER WINDFALL: After racking up 5 million accident-free miles, Louisiana trucker Stacy Batiste was awarded a custom-built semi and a check for $50,000.

SEEN & HEARD

"After COVID, the shipping community has really enjoyed the excess capacity. They just drove rates down. They’ve gotten away with it, and it’s worked. But it’s down to the point where we’ve got big carriers reporting losses—large carriers, public carriers, reporting losses. That, to me, is stunning. And, I would tell the shipping community, I think you’ve hit bottom. The rates have got to start going up now." —Al Hill, President of Hill Brothers Transportation

On a recent episode of BulkLoads, Hill and Tyler Sjoberg, director of bulk freight transportation at Hill Brothers Transportation, deliver a show-and-tell about the Omaha-based brokerage. They reveal how the company grew from financing from three large trucking firms and then took off after President Jimmy Carter deregulated trucking. This is an up-close and behind-the-scenes look at one of the country's largest brokers. (BulkLoads)

ROAD REPORT

2025 goes down as a year of uncertainty

Owner-operators and trucking leaders thought 2025 would be a turnaround year for the industry. The year brought a couple of wins, but overall it has been a year of uncertainty, says Deborah Lockridge, editor and associate publisher of Heavy Duty Trucking.

"Uncertainty about the economy. Uncertainty about President Trump’s ever-changing tariffs. Uncertainty about what emissions standards truck and engine makers will face," Lockridge writes.

Why this matters: While the trucking industry didn't experience the financial recovery it had hoped for in 2025, the businesses that survived should keep their blueprints well in hand. "Fleets that can navigate uncertainty and harness AI and other technologies to operate more intelligently [will continue to survive].” (Trucking Info)

CONNECTED FLEET

How to navigate the mountains with smart technology

Longtime Rocky Mountain hauler D.G. Coleman Inc. focuses on training its drivers how to operate the latest technology in their cabs and believes in the latest safety technology for its fleet. Those include forward-collision warning systems and the BeyondTrucks transportation management system.

Why this matters: “We’ve eliminated load, equipment, and driver compatibility issues, and we’ve vastly improved our planning and payroll reconciliation processes,” operations manager Jimmy Coleman says. (FleetOwner)