Truck drivers in Arkansas will no longer be held accountable for loads that were damaged due to negligence on the shipper’s behalf.
As reported on the OOIDA’s Land Line Magazine, a bill was signed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, making Arkansas the 42nd state to act against unfair provisions from shipping contracts.
Under the new law, which is now in effect, provisions in written or verbal contracts that allow a shipper to be made whole for damages that occurred due to their own negligence will be unenforceable.
OOIDA’s director of state legislative affairs, Mike Matousek, believes this is a reasonable solution to counteract the rules that provide shippers and receivers with a way to pin damaged caused by their own negligence on truckers that are delivering their loads.
Matousek said:
“Truckers should not be held liable for damages or injuries that are caused by the negligence of shippers and receivers. Conversely, shippers and receivers should not be held liable for damages or injuries that arise from the negligence of a trucker.”
The only states that have not yet adopted a similar protection for truck drivers are Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Delaware.