Trucking lawsuit verdicts average nearly $28 million in U.S. Chamber study of 334 cases

Plaintiffs' verdicts in commercial truck accident cases averaged nearly $28 million in a new study of 334 truck accident verdicts and settlements, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 19.

The Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform released a new edition of its report "Roadblock: The Trucking Litigation Problem and How to Fix It" on Monday, examining how lawsuit abuse involving commercial truck accidents is driving up litigation and insurance costs for carriers. The study reviewed 334 truck accident verdicts and settlements from June 2023 to July 2026 and found an average award of $16.8 million and a median award of $2.15 million, with plaintiffs' verdicts averaging nearly $28 million.

The report says verdicts and settlements continue on an upward trajectory even as truck accident rates have declined. It points to interconnected fraud networks and staged accidents, inflated medical billing, aggressive plaintiffs' attorney trial tactics, third-party litigation funding and efforts to expand liability to new categories of transportation defendants as factors behind the trend.

"Every dollar lost to excessive litigation promoted by billboard lawyers is a dollar that could have gone toward wages, equipment, and jobs," said Stephen Waguespack, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform. "And these costs work their way from the courtroom through the supply chain to the register, where American families ultimately pay the price of lawsuit abuse."

The report also highlights staged collision schemes, in which organized crime rings — often working with billboard lawyers and unscrupulous healthcare providers — deliberately cause crashes with commercial trucks to manufacture bogus injury claims. It notes that one decades-long staged crash conspiracy was recently uncovered in New Orleans. Excessive litigation, inflated claims and abusive legal tactics increase settlement pressure and contribute to rising insurance premiums, the Chamber said.

The release pointed to reform efforts in Congress as an example, citing the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act introduced by Senator Moody of Florida, the companion to H.R. 2662, sponsored by Representatives Mike Collins of Georgia and Brandon Gill of Texas. The report makes the case for reforms that preserve access to justice while discouraging lawsuit abuse. The findings land a day after lawsuit abuse reform held the No. 2 spot on ATRI's 2026 Top Industry Issues list, behind only fuel prices.