Safety Should Be Provable, Not Just Compliant
A unanimous Supreme Court ruling means freight brokers can face state liability claims for their selection of carriers. For carriers, that shift turns a documented safety program from a compliance nicety into a competitive credential. In an upcoming webinar, Lytx® outlines the elements of a defensible safety record. The post Safety Should Be Provable, Not Just Compliant appeared first on…
On October 27, Lytx will host a webinar to help freight brokers build a defensible safety record, following the Supreme Court's recent decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC. This ruling means that freight brokers can now be held liable for negligent hiring and carrier-selection under state law if they knew, or should have known, about safety problems with a carrier. The burden of proof has shifted, meaning brokers must now show that they took proper due diligence in selecting carriers.
Previously, safety records were seen as compliance checklists, but now they are a necessary credential to demonstrate a carrier's commitment to safety. Carriers with proactive safety management programs, such as video telematics, can provide proof that they actively managed safety risks and documented the results. Fleets that have transitioned to proactive safety programs use adjustment periods and consistent, documented coaching to refine early reviews and ensure real driving patterns are considered.
In the context of changing freight risk, insurance underwriters have been reassessing carrier risk profiles, and nuclear verdicts in trucking litigation have driven up premiums. Montgomery adds another layer of exposure to this trend, and brokers who can demonstrate an active, documented safety program have a competitive advantage when selecting carriers.
Fleets that have made the shift to proactive safety management often unify compliance and safety performance data, rather than treating them as separate metrics. As the standard of proof has changed, it is essential to recognize that "documented safety performance" is now a higher bar than bare-minimum compliance. Lytx has been helping fleets manage ELD compliance, improve safety scores, and build demonstrated safety programs for 15 years.
Their webinar on October 27 will cover how to make an existing safety program demonstrable and provide insight into what brokers are looking for and what defensible safety records look like in practice.
Written by urgent.news from FreightWaves's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
