Category Archives: Truckers

Truckers Call Baloney On Bloomberg View

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Jon Rehm

Truckers were quick to criticize a Bloomberg View piece about the effect of shortage of truck drivers on the economy that our firm posted on our Facebook page.

Hedge fund manager Conor Sen made a valid point that the lack of truck drivers could drive up the cost of goods and slow down the economy. Sen went on to argue that this shortage will be exacerbated by the imminent automation of trucking. Why train for a job that will soon be eliminated?

There are two problems with his article.

Truckers pointed out that the shortage of drivers could be attributed to bad working conditions within a trucking. Sen didn’t address this in his article where he portrayed the driver shortage as something that just happened.

Poor working conditions for truckers are somewhat of a function of employment laws. For example, truck drivers are largely exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act. While better laws for truckers would probably help attract more drivers, the trucking industry is fighting state law efforts to improve trucker wages. The wages of professional drivers are being further eroded by the use of contract drivers who are wrongfully classified as contractors rather than employers.

Secondly trucking industry observers believe automation is far from imminent. Professional drivers do a lot more than just drive. Even some tech industry boosters in the business press admit that automation may not be imminent. Increasing automation in truck driving could benefit drivers by making driving safer. Most airplanes fly by autopilot, but planes still have pilots.

In short, the trucker shortage isn’t just something that happened. It is driven by poor working conditions for truckers. Those poor working conditions are caused in part by bad laws which seem to be getting worse. It’s also not fair or reasonable to argue the supposed imminent arrival of automation to truck driving is causing a truck driver shortage. Automation of trucking is far from imminent, but increased automation may make trucking safer which would make it a more attractive job, which in turn would increase the supply of drivers.

Truck Parking: A Forgotten Piece of Infrastructure

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Jon Rehm

While bridge collapses make for dramatic footage and almost everybody encounters the more mundane danger of potholes, truck parking is not an infrastructure issue that most people think about, but it is a very important issue for over-the-road truckers.

Lack of truck parking is a safety issue for many reasons. Lack of parking for truckers makes it harder for them to find a place to sleep, which leads to more accidents. Additionally, drivers are forced to park in unsafe locations, like the shoulders of roads, which can lead to even more safety hazards.

I travel quite often on I-80 (which generally follows The Oregon Trail) when I travel between Lincoln and central Nebraska to meet with and represent my clients in places like Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Lexington and North Platte. I like the fact that Nebraska has plenty of places to stop for personal comfort, check email or even take a quick nap. But even in a state like Nebraska, where hospitality to overland travelers is an integral part of our state’s history, I still see safety issues with truck parking. The parking lots in many trucks stops are very rough from the weight of the trucks. This can lead to slip and fall injuries. Stops need to be well-maintained so that they remain safe.

Unfortunately, many urban areas are less friendly toward truck parking, which forces rural areas to bear more of the burden of truck parking. President Donald Trump has announced a $1 trillion dollar infrastructure plan. Hopefully, sufficient and safe truck parking will be part of that infrastructure plan.

Truckers Fired Over Workers’ Comp Claim: What to Do Next

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Rod Rehm

Truck drivers have a remedy if fired for making a workers’ compensation claim.

A recent award of over $100,000 to a truck driver who was fired for making a workers’ compensation claim illustrated the protection drivers have under the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA). New Prime of Springfield, Mo., had to pay the former employee lost wages, compensatory and punitive damages. “The company must also expunge the complainant’s employment and DAC Report records of any reference to his unlawful termination,” according to the article above.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is often criticized for a variety of reasons, enforced anti-retaliation laws that protect truck drivers who are unfairly punished for taking steps to protect their health and financial welfare. These laws can also be enforced through lawsuits as an alternative to the OSHA administrative process.

Truck drivers need to be aware of this protection. Truck drivers also need to know that OSHA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have just announced an agreement to strengthen protections for transportation workers from coercion and retaliation.

The industry publication FleetOwner gives more details about how OSHA and the FMCSA interact with the STAA in this article.

Here is one helpful quote from the FleetOwner article:

“If OSHA finds that a complaint is valid, it can order the employer to reinstate the worker; pay back pay, interest and compensatory damages; pay punitive damages up to $250,000 where warranted; and/or take other remedial actions.”

In addition, “action by one agency didn’t preclude action by another in the same situation” when it comes to the STAA.

“OSHA’s mandate is protecting workers, while FMCSA’s mandate is safety, (an FMCSA document) said. And FMCSA can take action against a carrier or other entity but, unlike OSHA, it can’t compensate a driver. So a driver filing a complaint with FMCSA about coercion might be able to file a whistleblower protection complaint with OSHA and vice versa, FMCSA said.”

The recent award and very recent press release from OSHA are great news for truckers and their families. The laws that protect you work. There is an apparently serious effort to make them work better. It will now be easier to protect your health and welfare if you are injured on the job.

Workers’ Comp Covers Work-Related Motor Vehicle Accidents

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Todd Bennett

Do you drive a company vehicle as part of your job?

Many find themselves in the situation where they travel regularly, or on a special errand from time to time, as part of their job.

In the unfortunate scheme of things, if you are involved in an accident while driving, whether it is your fault or not, you are covered by and entitled to workers’ compensation benefits just as any other employee who suffers an accident on the premise of an employer.

More importantly, if the cause of the accident was not due to negligence of your own, but that of a third party, you have a right to bring a third-party negligence action against the party responsible for causing the vehicle accident. This right is separate and distinct from the workers’ compensation benefits that you are entitled to. Further, you also potentially have the right to bring an underinsured motorist coverage claim under your employer’s motor vehicle coverage as well as your own underinsured motorist vehicle coverage. These, too, are separate and distinct from the workers’ compensation benefits you are entitled to.

It is important to note that the employer would have a subrogation right to be reimbursed for workers’ compensation benefits paid on your behalf against that of any third-party negligence claim where you obtained a recovery. However, as underinsured motorist coverage is typically viewed as contractual benefits in nature, there is no subrogation right from your employer if underinsured benefits are obtained in Nebraska.

If you or someone you know was injured in a motor vehicle accident that arose out of and in the course of one’s employment, there are significant issues to be aware of in order to obtain a recovery that meets your needs. If you have any questions or uncertainty when dealing with this point of law, please seek the advice of an experienced attorney who can help steer you in the best course of action.

Hear Recent America’s Truckin’ Network Podcasts on Truckers: Prescriptions and Workers’ Comp

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Emily Wray Stander

Last week, Rehm, Bennett & Moore owner Rod Rehm was featured on America’s Truckin’ Network, which is an overnight show that runs on both Sirius/XM channel 166 and 700 WLW-AM out of Cincinnati. Mr. Rehm and show host Mr. Steve Sommers discussed some of the nuances of workers’ compensation law when it comes to drivers, specifically focusing on issues like the special challenges truck drivers have in taking prescription drugs if they’re hurt. The requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (USDOT FMCSA) rules and regulations make this topic more complicated for truckers.

During that time, the two also took truckers’ calls and discussed topics that included details about workers’ compensation injuries; when to get an attorney involved; the overuse of opiates in the legal world; and more about work injury and drug interactions/intoxication. Mr. Rehm elaborates on this information, providing more details in the podcasts linked to below.

America’s Truckin’ Network runs from 11 p.m. through 4 a.m. (midnight to 5 a.m. Eastern Time) on 700 WLW-AM, and we greatly appreciate the chance to help educate truckers about workers’ compensation matters. For questions about a specific injury or workers’ compensation claim, please contact an attorney. Mr. Rehm has represented truckers for over 30 years, 15 of which have been through the website www.truckerlawyers.com.

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Former President of Chemical Company Sentenced for Federal Crimes Related to Employee Deaths

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Rod Rehm

Today’s post was shared by Gelman on Workplace Injuries and comes from ehstoday.com. Mr. Jon Gelman is a respected colleague who focuses on workers’ compensation in New Jersey.

As the post points out, it is unusual, but not unheard of, for an employer to be charged and sentenced for Occupational Safety and Health Act violations. In fact, in 2012, I wrote about a situation that happened at a Nebraska grain elevator that caused a worker’s death and resulted in a misdemeanor charge, including a $100,000 fine and 2 years of probation for the employer.

The article below is important for a number of reasons. First, two truck drivers, Joey Sutter and Charles Sittig, died as a result of chemical exposure to hydrogen sulfide through their work. Next, the company’s former president, Matthew Lawrence Bowman, was sentenced to serve 12 months in federal prison and also fined $5,000, according to the article. As president of his company, Port Arthur Chemical and Environmental Services LLC (PACES) of Port Arthur, Texas, Bowman even directed some of the violations. And these actions were “criminally negligent,” according to John M. Bales, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

Although no amount of prison time or fines can bring the drivers back to their loved ones, it is good to see someone being held at least a little bit accountable for the dangers of this company’s practices.

Matthew Lawrence Bowman, the former president of Port Arthur Chemical and Environmental Services LLC (PACES) finally had his (sentencing) day in court. Bowman pleaded guilty on May 9 to violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). It is rare for individuals to be prosecuted and sentenced to violations of the OSH Act.Bowman admitted to not properly protecting PACES employees from exposure to hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas resulting in the death of truck driver Joey Sutter on Dec. 18, 2008. In addition, Bowman admitted to directing employees to falsify transportation documents to conceal that the wastewater was coming from PACES after a disposal facility put a moratorium on all wastewater shipments from PACES after received loads containing hydrogen sulfide. He was sentenced to serve 12 months in federal prison on Oct. 28 by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone. Bowman was also ordered to pay fines in the amount of $5,000.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Robert G. Dreher called the sentence “a just punishment” for Bowman’s actions, which placed workers “at unacceptable risk and had fatal consequences.”

“The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who violate the laws enacted to ensure the safety of workers handling hazardous materials and to prevent the kind of tragedies that…

[Click here to see the rest of this post]

Truckers Face Roadblocks for FMLA

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Jon Rehm

Can a trucker working for a large trucking company be excluded from the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? The answer is possibly yes, but drivers who know the law may be able to preserve their rights.

The FMLA only covers employees that work within 75 miles of a company worksite that employs 50 or more people. Some trucking companies have tried to exclude their employees from the FMLA by getting creative with the definition of a “worksite.” This issue has been litigated and the courts are clear about what constitutes a worksite.

In the case of Cobb v. Contract Transport, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, which covers Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, gave its interpretation of the Department of Labor’s regulations about the definition of a worksite. The court determined that a worksite (as defined by the FMLA) is a terminal that is owned and operated by the company. For example, if a driver reports to a truck stop but is dispatched out of company headquarters, a court that follows the Cobb decision would find the driver’s worksite to be company headquarters where the driver is dispatched. This would likely make the driver eligible for FMLA. You can read full text of the law the court cited here: 29 CFR § 825.111.

Of course, if a driver is dispatched out of a small satellite terminal, then a court could determine that the smaller facility is the true worksite and the employer may be able to exclude the driver from FMLA. The reason for this is that if a driver has to miss work for extended period of time, he or she may inconvenience the company if they would not have enough drivers dispatched out of that small terminal to cover all their routes.

Report Your Injury Right Away

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Brody Ockander

Truckers especially need to pay attention to this blog post. Most states require you to provide notice of your work injury to your employer as soon as is practicable. Failing to do so might prevent you from getting workers’ compensation benefits.

Because truckers are always on the go, sometimes they may not remember to report their injuries right away. Instead, maybe the trucker will simply finish the route and decide to get checked out later, completely forgetting to inform the employer. This can become a problem later and potentially could give your employer a reason to deny paying work comp benefits or paying for treatment for your work injury. Unfortunately, this is a fairly common mistake, as pointed out on one of the firm’s websites, www.truckerlawyers.com.

The moral of the story is if you’re hurt, tell your employer immediately. Communicate via your Qualcomm, call in, radio, email, or do whatever it takes, even if you have to call from the doctor’s office. Even if your injury seems insignificant at first, you’ll still want to give your employer notice. You’ll be better off in the long run.

Workers' Compensation Watch

Published by Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm

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Category Archives: Truckers

Truckers Call Baloney On Bloomberg View

Truck Parking: A Forgotten Piece of Infrastructure

Truckers Fired Over Workers’ Comp Claim: What to Do Next

Workers’ Comp Covers Work-Related Motor Vehicle Accidents

Hear Recent America’s Truckin’ Network Podcasts on Truckers: Prescriptions and Workers’ Comp

Former President of Chemical Company Sentenced for Federal Crimes Related to Employee Deaths

Truckers Face Roadblocks for FMLA

Report Your Injury Right Away

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