Trucking Industry Reports Rising Litigation Costs and Insurance Premium Increases

Trucking companies have reported increases in commercial insurance premiums tied to litigation costs from personal injury cases. Industry representatives said these expenses are passed along through higher freight rates and consumer prices. The number of filed cases involving tractor-trailers rose at an annual rate of 3.7% between 2014 and 2023, according to a study by the American Transportation Research Institute.

Personal injury market size grew at a 2.5% compound annual growth rate between 2020 and 2025, per IBIS World data.

Legislative Proposals In October 2025, Rep.

Mike Collins introduced the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2025. The bill would impose mandatory sanctions on attorneys who file frivolous suits in federal courts and remove the 21-day safe harbor period for withdrawing such filings. In September 2025, lawmakers introduced the FAIR Trucking Act to address high jury awards in trucking cases.

The American Association for Justice has lobbied against the measure.

the Supreme Court declined to limit freight broker liability in the Montgomery v. Caribe Transport case. Beth Milito of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center said the decision leaves small businesses facing higher costs from a patchwork of state liability rules.

Henry Hanscom of the American Trucking Association stated that liability insurance premiums rose 18.6% between 2021 and 2024. He noted that heavy-duty truck crash rates declined by as much as 3.1% during the same period. The trucking industry moves roughly 70% of U.S. goods.

Over the next decade, litigation is projected to contribute 15% of inflation in food costs, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform.