The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a major ruling that could reshape trucking accident litigation and place new pressure on freight brokers to more carefully evaluate the trucking companies they hire.
In a unanimous decision, the Court ruled that a lawsuit against major freight broker C.H. Robinson can move forward after a devastating 2017 trucking crash in Illinois left a driver with a partially amputated leg. The case, Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, centered on whether freight brokers can potentially be held liable for hiring trucking companies with troubling safety histories.
The ruling could have major implications across the trucking industry, particularly in cases involving negligent hiring claims against freight brokers and third-party logistics companies.
The Truck Accident That Led to the Supreme Court Case
According to court filings, Shawn Montgomery was parked in his tractor-trailer on the shoulder of an Illinois highway in 2017 when another semi-truck driver struck his vehicle at high speed. The collision caused catastrophic injuries that ultimately resulted in the partial amputation of Montgomery’s leg.
Montgomery later sued transportation broker C.H. Robinson, alleging the company should share responsibility because it hired a trucking carrier with a poor safety record and a history of crashes and unsafe driving violations. The lawsuit alleged that the broker ignored significant warning signs before assigning the load to the carrier involved in the crash.
C.H. Robinson argued that federal law shielded freight brokers from these types of state-law negligent hiring claims. Lower courts initially sided with the company before the dispute ultimately reached the Supreme Court.
Why the Supreme Court Allowed the Negligent Hiring Lawsuit to Move Forward
At the center of the case was the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA), a federal law that limits states from imposing certain regulations on freight brokers and motor carriers.
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled, however, that negligent hiring claims tied to motor vehicle safety fall within an important safety-related exception to the law. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote that states still retain authority over safety matters involving motor vehicles, allowing Montgomery’s lawsuit to proceed.
The ruling doesn't automatically mean C.H. Robinson will ultimately be found liable. Instead, it means the case can proceed in court rather than being dismissed on federal preemption grounds.
Still, trucking industry groups warned the decision could significantly increase liability exposure for freight brokers and logistics companies nationwide.
What the Decision Could Mean for Trucking Safety
Freight brokers play a major role in the trucking industry by connecting companies needing freight transportation with motor carriers willing to haul loads. Some safety advocates and trucking attorneys have argued that shipping timelines, freight demand, and pricing pressures can sometimes outweigh the need to take a closer look at a carrier’s safety record when loads are assigned.
The Supreme Court’s ruling may place greater pressure on brokers to more carefully review trucking companies’ crash histories, out-of-service rates, inspection records, and prior violations before assigning loads.
That issue has drawn increasing attention as concerns continue to grow over so-called “ghost fleets” and trucking companies operating under changing business structures or authorities despite troubling safety histories.
According to federal traffic safety data, 5,472 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2023. About 70% of those killed were occupants of other vehicles rather than the truck itself. Safety advocates have increasingly argued that stronger oversight of carriers, brokers, and freight logistics decisions may play an important role in preventing some of the most serious commercial vehicle crashes.
After a serious trucking accident, those records can be important as investigators and crash victims try to determine whether warning signs existed long before the collision.
How Trucking Safety Records Can Affect Truck Accident Investigations
Trucking accident litigation often involves far more than what happened in the moments leading up to a collision.
Investigators and attorneys may examine whether trucking companies had histories of repeated safety violations, poor maintenance practices, driver qualification problems, or prior crashes before a catastrophic accident occurred. In some cases, those records may become relevant not only to motor carriers but also to brokers or logistics companies involved in selecting the carrier.
Federal trucking safety records can include inspection histories, crash reports, hours-of-service (HOS) violations, unsafe driving citations, maintenance problems, and other indicators tied to a carrier’s operations. Understanding how those records are used after a serious crash can become an important part of many trucking accident investigations.
The Legal Examiner’s Carrier Safety Lookup tool also allows users to review publicly available Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) safety data tied to trucking companies, including inspection histories, crash records, and safety violations.
Why Trucking Lawyers Say Carrier Selection Matters
Trucking accident attorneys have long argued that the companies responsible for putting trucks on the road should carefully evaluate the carriers they hire, particularly when public safety records may reveal warning signs.
“This decision reinforces the idea that safety concerns don’t begin only after a truck crash occurs,” says Brandon Smith, a partner with Childers, Schlueter & Smith, a law firm that handles trucking and catastrophic injury cases. “In many truck accident cases, investigators examine what information was available beforehand and whether companies took reasonable steps to avoid putting unsafe carriers on the road.”
Those investigations often involve reviewing driver qualification files, maintenance records, HOS data, dispatch communications, inspection histories, and other company records to help determine whether safety problems existed before the collision.
The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to keep those issues at the center of trucking litigation moving forward.
