Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/611028
22 | Overdrive | December 2015 LOGBOOK CAT Scale is the largest truck scale network in the world and growing all the time. With more than 1,600 locations in the United States and Canada, there's always a CAT Scale open when you need one. Professional drivers know that CAT Scale delivers fast, accurate, and unconditionally guaranteed weights every time. Download the Weigh My Truck App. It's the fastest way to weigh! 1-877-CAT-SCALE (228-7225) catscale.com | weighmytruck.com HAS YOUR BACK CAT OD 111115.qxp_Layout 1 11/12/15 9:47 PM Page 1 Untitled-5 1 11/16/15 9:29 AM Walmart sues insurers over crash payouts Walmart's private fleet has sued a group of insurance companies for re- fusing to pay the retail giant's settle- ments with victims of the high-profile June 2014 crash on the New Jersey Turnpike that left one person dead and others severely injured, including actor Tracy Morgan. Two of the insurers countersued, claiming the retailer did not fight hard enough to negotiate a lower settlement with the crash victims. Walmart reached settle- ments this year with the family of actor James Mc- Nair (who was killed in the crash involving a Walmart tractor-trailer) and the other victims, including Morgan. Terms in both agreements were undisclosed. Walmart filed its suit against the insurance com- panies in October, claim- ing they'd breached their contract by not paying the settlements. The compa- ny was countersued by Ohio Casualty and Liberty Insurance, which call the settlements with Morgan and the other crash victims "excessive." "Wal-Mart embarked on a course of action whereby it did not provide Plaintiffs and the other Insurer Defendants with the specific documents and information which they had requested in order to evaluate the settlement," the insurance companies claim in their suit. The crash last year came just as lawmakers began attempts to roll back some of the 2013-implemented hours of service changes, and the two concurrent events combined to spark a national debate over hours regulations. Ultimately, the suspension of some regula- tions prevailed. The crash occurred the morning of June 7, 2014, when Walmart driver Kevin Roper allegedly dozed off. Roper has been charged with vehicular homicide, and criminal proceedings against him continue. – James Jaillet