Rail & Road #carrier safety#trucking
After Montgomery Decision, Industry Scrambles for Reliable Carrier Safety Ratings
The Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II eliminated a key procedural defense for brokers in negligent selection lawsuits, forcing the industry to confront the lack of dependable carrier safety data. A FreightWaves analysis argues that FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS) is not reliable for judging carrier safety, as even the agency itself warns against drawing conclusions from the data. Brokers and carriers are now pushing for a federal safety standard and modernization of safety fitness determinations.
Jun 23, 2026 1 source