Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of July 30:

C.H. Robinson loses a lawsuit with a nuclear verdict

In Dallas County, Texas, a jury issued a $604 million verdict against C.H. Robinson as a broker, Lupus Superior as the carrier, and a deceased driver over a 2021 crash. The jury was ultimately convinced that C.H. Robinson was more involved than a traditional broker would be in the carrier’s operations, making the company partially liable for the crash.

C.H. Robinson will almost certainly appeal the verdict; the legal battle will continue for some time.

Mack and Volvo are softening their trucks’ DEF derates

Mack and Volvo are working on software updates that will weaken the severity of their trucks’ DEF limp mode. The software updates follow EPA’s new guidance on DEF derates, where engines will allow their drivers more time to address DEF faults and where their weakened inducement speeds will be much less harsh.

With the updates, the time to address a fault before the harshest inducement will increase from four hours to 160 hours, and the harshest inducement speed limit will increase from 5 mph to 25 mph.

Many of the latest Mack and Volvo trucks already have the DEF derate software update installed—or available through a remote software update. The OEMs expect the updates will be available for model year 2024 trucks by the end of the summer and all post-2010 vehicles by the end of 2027. Trucks that aren’t compatible with remote updates will likely need to get their software updates at dealerships.

Averitt announced a driver pay increase

Averitt Express, ranked 30th on the FleetOwner 500 list of the nation’s largest for-hire carriers by power units, announced a pay increase for its LTL and regional drivers.

Effective August 9, regional drivers’ per-mile wages will increase from 64 cents per mile to 66 cents per mile. Averitt is also eliminating the per-mile pay difference between hazmat drivers and regular drivers: instead, hazmat drivers will receive just $25 for each hazmat load they haul. Averitt did not disclose much about its LTL driver compensation changes, only announcing that the compensation increased on July 26.

Averitt’s announcement joins other major for-hire carriers in raising driver rates, including J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Schneider National, and Werner Enterprises.

Senators proposed a bill to crack down on chameleon carriers

Members of Congress have introduced a bill that the industry is very interested in: a bill that would support enforcement against chameleon carriers. Named the Safety and Accountability in Freight Enforcement (SAFE) Act, the bill would direct FMCSA to conduct a study on chameleon carriers and develop new tools to help the government detect them.

The bill has not yet passed any subcommittees, so its likelihood of passing is still very slim.

In the spot market, for-hire rates have decreased

According to the latest DAT Trendlines report, average dry van rates went down 3.1% to $3.03 per mile, refrigerated rates went down 6% to $3.44 per mile, and flatbed rates went up 2.2% to $3.66 per mile. 

In fuel this week, diesel went up by 18 cents

The national average on-highway diesel price grew to $5.31 per gallon, according to the weekly report from the Energy Information Administration, or up to $5.34 per gallon, according to the latest data from AAA. The Iran War continues, and the conflict heated up over the last week.