This could be big

The US Supreme Court handed down a decision on May 14 that could really affect the competitive relationship of rail freight transportation vis a vis highway freight transportation. The decision was 9-0.

The case in question involved the liability of a freight broker for an injury accident involving a trucking company selected by the broker. Brokers function as transportation middlemen that help shippers looking for truckers find truckers looking for shippers. The brokers function to reduce what are known as “Search Costs.” They make it easier and cheaper to ship by truck. If they didn’t do these two things they wouldn’t be used.

The brokers were shielded from legal actions resulting from wrecks involving motor carriers. They could, and did, hire truckers with poor safety records without worrying about the financial downside of such actions if there was an injury or fatal accident. No more.

This can reasonably be projected to reduce the number of trucks and drivers operating in competition with rail freight service. This reduction in supply will then logically drive motor freight charges higher giving an advantage to rail freight movement. We shall see.

The Supreme Court just told every freight broker that they can be sued - FreightWaves

I already covered this in 3PL lose liability coverage.

Wasn’t there another post just like this one, or about the same principle essentially?

Oh it was

You have two viewpoints: one from a person with experience in railroad shipping, and one from a person in the trucking industry.

I’ve always thought it a bit peculiar that governments that have bent over backward to pile consequences on CDL drivers, and enforce e-logging, have turned a blind eye to consequences for company owners.

Who, me? You quoted me but I only said that this same topic had been discussed elsewhere

When he said “you” I believe he was using the second person plural. He meant all of us, not just you. I would have said, “there are” or “we have” instead.

Ah, ok the other way of saying “you”, as in “if you want to…” that way… I thought he’d meant me specifically at first, thank you.

Yes, “you have” in the sense “you’ve been given, in the two different posts…”

Gotcha