Trucking Industry

Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial attorneys have developed an industry focus defending service providers, freight carriers and insurers in catastrophic commercial motor vehicle accidents throughout the United States.   Our clients range from single unit owner / operators to global package delivery service companies with fleets ranging from 5,000 to 110,000 vehicles.  WWHGD lawyers understand the complex federal and state regulations governing commercial motor vehicles, and we regularly counsel clients on regulatory compliance, risk management, and policy development.  We are routinely hired to defend and try some of the most difficult cases in the worst jurisdictions. Our lawyers act as national counsel, coordinating counsel and trial counsel, and we have taken an active role in training local counsel networks on best practices for:       

• Emergency accident response 
• Evidence collection 
• Injury assessment  
• Discovery 
• Motions
• Trial practice  

We maintain an on-call, 24/7 emergency-response “Go Team” to quickly respond to accidents, and we are frequent speakers at industry, trade and professional events. 

Industry Affiliations/Recognition

Members of our transportation practice are active in industry organizations including American Trucking Associations (ATA), Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA) and the Georgia Motor Trucking Association (GMTA).  Our attorneys are listed in the most prestigious attorneys ranking publications throughout the US including Best Lawyers of America ®, Martindale-Hubbell ® and Super Lawyers Magazine.

Representative Trucking Litigation Cases   

• Defense verdict for a Fortune 50 transportation company in $6.5 million wrongful death claim involving a motorcycle and package truck.
• Defense verdict in a tractor trailer collision when Plaintiff spun out across a four lane interstate.
• Represented a trucking company and commercial driver against tort claims for four deaths and two injured children stemming from an interstate accident. All cases were resolved shortly before trial for a total payment of $1.5M.
• Represented a trucking company and driver against multiple wrongful death claims in a collision in which a gasoline tanker flipped over on a notoriously tight curve of the Florida Turnpike and pinned a car with four adults to a guardrail.  All cases were collectively settled for less than $4 million.  
• Represented a trucking company in multiple death and injury claims in an accident in Florida caused by a truck driver who was allegedly on duty for 36 hours, in violation of regulations. The truck rear-ended a sedan, which was subsequently pushed into a parked school bus, resulting in seven deaths and multiple severe injuries. All cases were favorably settled for the defense and plaintiffs’ motions to amend for punitive damages were defeated twice.
• Successful dismissal of a government transportation contractor in a catastrophic personal injury case involving a fuel tanker that over-turned as it maneuvered through a “choke-point” during wartime in Iraq.
• Lead trial counsel for a global shipping company in the successful defense of a three-week wrongful death trial in which plaintiff’s last pre-trial demand was $50 million.
• National Coordinating Counsel for national bus company in three separate driver attack-related accidents causing multiple deaths and injuries and resulting in multiple cases throughout the country.
• Favorably resolved a wrongful death / catastrophic injury suit from a tractor-trailer collision with a pickup truck and minivan where the driver of the truck was found to have been driving under the influence and was criminally charged for the deaths. 
• Represented a fully-loaded dump truck which ran a red light and collided with a pickup truck causing severe injuries to passengers.  The case was favorably resolved before trial.
• Represented top 100 motor carrier in five wrongful death cases and two severe injury cases resulting from a tractor trailer collision on I-16 in southwest Georgia.
• Successfully resolved a case involving a dump truck collision with a vehicle stopped at a traffic light when a steering pin snapped on the truck mid-turn at an intersection despite a finding that the driver of the dump truck had been warned three times in the last 6 months about his driving, three prior accidents and was being fired.
• Currently defending nationally known trucking company in a multi-death accident on I-16 involving more than 20 vehicles in Liberty County, Georgia.