09/04/2026
Lawmakers intro bill to combat 'excessive' trucking lawsuitsš
ā¹ļøLawmakers introduced a bicameral bill that would attempt to put the brakes on trucking lawsuit abuse by upholding federal rather than state safety standards.
On August 11, 2026, Rep. Mike Flood (NE) and Senator Deb Fischer (NE) introduced the Uniform Vehicle Safety Standards Act to āaddress the recent spike in lawsuits paying out damages for standards set by states rather than federal standards.ā
The legislation is intended to combat excessive jury awards in civil suits for trucking accidents based on state safety requirements rather than federal standards, which cause āincreased insurance costs, trucking faced with steep payments even when meeting federal standards, and the trucking industry facing regulatory uncertainty,ā according to the billās supporters.