This week, lawmakers introduced a bicameral bill that would seek to curb the abuse of lawsuits against trucking companies, prioritizing federal safety standards over state ones.
On August 11, 2026, Representative Mike Flood (NE) and Senator Deb Fischer (NE) introduced the Uniform Vehicle Safety Standards Act to “address the recent surge in lawsuits in which damages are awarded based on state safety standards rather than federal standards.”
The legislation aims to combat excessive awards granted by juries in civil lawsuits involving truck accidents based on state safety requirements rather than federal standards, which leads to “rising insurance costs, transportation companies facing high payouts even when they comply with federal standards, and the trucking industry facing regulatory uncertainty,” according to the bill’s supporters.
If passed, lawmakers say the bill “would make it clear that automakers cannot be held liable, under state law, for manufacturing or equipping vehicles that already fully comply with the federal motor vehicle safety standards established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”
“In recent years, we have seen a sharp increase in lawsuits in which damages are awarded based on state standards, rather than the federal safety standards that trucking companies are already required to meet,” Flood said. “Americans deserve a single, clear set of standards, rather than a patchwork of state regulations that drive up costs and create uncertainty for companies that are already complying with the law. I thank Congressmen Ellzey, Obernolte, and Rouzer, as well as Senator Fischer, for joining me in this effort to address this growing problem and help ensure that our safety laws are fair, consistent, and benefit the American people.”
The bill is supported by several trucking industry associations, including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the American Bus Association, the American Property and Casualty Insurance Association, the American Trucking Associations, the International Foodservice Distributors Association, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, the National Trailer Manufacturers Association, the National Trucking Association, the National Tank Truck Carriers Association, the Nebraska Motor Carrier Association, Timpte, the Truck Rental and Leasing Association, the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association, the Full Truckload Carriers Association, and Werner.
“When the NHTSA establishes a federal safety standard, manufacturers and carriers must be able to rely on that decision. Allowing lawsuits to effectively impose equipment requirements that deviate from federal standards creates uncertainty, drives up costs, and jeopardizes the uniformity that ensures our nation’s supply chain operates safely and efficiently,” said Alex Rosen, senior vice president of legislative affairs at the American Trucking Associations. “The trucking industry applauds Representatives Flood, Obernolte, Rouzer, and Ellzey for introducing this common-sense legislation to reaffirm NHTSA’s role as the nation’s expert regulatory agency on motor vehicle safety standards. If NHTSA, after evaluating the available evidence through its regulatory process, determines that a specific standard strikes the right balance to maximize motor vehicle safety, that expert decision should carry more weight than the hindsight judgments put forward by for-profit trial lawyers in individual courts.”
“By establishing a uniform standard, this legislation protects carriers from frivolous lawsuits, while ensuring that motor vehicle manufacturing meets the safety requirements established and mandated by the federal government for all drivers,” said Nathan Meisgeier, president and general counsel of Werner Enterprises, Inc.
