On Thursday, April 14th, The Law Firm for Truck Safety’s Matthew Wright spoke to personal injuryLegal term for an injury to the body, mind, or psyche, as opposed to an injury to property. and plaintiffA plaintiff is the person or party who initiates a lawsuit before a court. By filing a complaint, the plaintiff seeks legal remedy for the harm caused by the defendant's actions or inactions. In civil cases, the plaintiff is the party who claims to have incurred a loss due to the defendant's breach of duty or violation of their rights. In the United States, the plaintiff bears the burden of proving their case to obtain relief or damages from the defendant. attorneys on the impact large online retailers like Amazon have on modern-day truck crash litigation.
The two-day hybrid seminar, hosted by The Minnesota Association for Justice, covered all things trucking. The presenters, all well-versed in truck accident law, spoke on topics such as conducting successful depositions, finding hidden motor carrier claims, and effective jury selection.
While it is clear how these topics impact trucking cases, what is less obvious (and more sinister as a result) is how the hiring practices of large online retailers impact the future of truck accident law.
When large online retailers, in an effort to keep wage costs down, seek to hire drivers with little to no experience and put them behind the wheel as quickly as possible, it has ramifications for the future of road safety, driver regulations/training, and truck crash litigation –all topics covered in Matt Wright’s presentation, Amazon Cases: The New Frontier.
Referrals & Co-Counsel
Involved in a Crash?
No other law firm knows trucks quite like us. Our trucking law expertise and trial experience allow us to win multi-million-dollar results year after year.
Our team of truck accident attorneys works tirelessly to help your family find justice in the wake of a catastrophic truck crash.
Referrals & Co-Counsel
No other law firm knows trucks quite like us. Our trucking law expertise and trial experience allow us to win multi-million-dollar results year after year.
Involved in a Crash?
Our team of truck accident attorneys works tirelessly to help your family find justice in the wake of a catastrophic truck crash.
Amazon’s is known to target individuals with little or no trucking experience as the most likely persons to accept below-market freight rates. Although Amazon denies liabilityLegal responsibility for one's acts or omissions. In negligence cases, liability includes proving negligence (see definition or hyperlink), proving causation (see definition), and resulting damages (see definition or hyperlink). for the acts of their trucks and vans when they cause crashes and injure or kill people, Amazon exercises control over their drivers through detailed performance metrics and penalties for non-compliance using sophisticated computer telematic systems and other phone-based apps.
In a 2020 study conducted by VTTI, a truck driver with less than a year’s experience had a 48% chance of being involved in a truck accident. The efficacy of truck driver training notwithstanding, that number is 37% higher than drivers with 2-5 years of experience and 81% higher than a driver with 10-20 years of experience.
While Matt’s presentation largely focused on Amazon, the danger this “churn and burn” employment model poses to road safety is by no means exclusive to the online retail giant.
In a 2020 study conducted by VTTI, a truck driver with less than a year’s experience had a 48% chance of being involved in a truck accident. The efficacy of truck driver training notwithstanding, that number is 37% higher than drivers with 2-5 years of experience and 81% higher than a driver with 10-20 years of experience.
While Matt’s presentation largely focused on Amazon, the danger this “churn and burn” employment model poses to road safety is by no means exclusive to the online retail giant.
If you could not attend Matt’s presentation at MAJ’s Trucking Case Seminar, you can view his other 2022 speaking engagements on The Law Firm for Truck Safety’s 2022 event calendar.
For counsel looking for easy access to the FMCSRs, The Law Firm for Truck Safety offers a free app allowing instantaneous access—even when you don’t have an internet connection—to these safety regulations through a mobile or tablet device. This app can be downloaded here.
