Smart legal solutions that help our clients move business forward.
The global economy moves with the transportation industry. Companies trust Husch Blackwell’s Transportation team to handle issues such as unpredictable fuel prices; state, federal, and international regulations; safety and compliance concerns; multi-modal shipping challenges; contractual disputes; and significant litigation challenges with speed, efficiency, and care.
Our attorneys are experienced in a broad range of domestic and international transportation issues, including e-commerce platforms, hazardous materials, customs and trade, cargo liability, freight forwarding, contracts, logistics services, rail car leasing, aviation law, maritime issues, warehousing/ports, and packaging services. We help our clients with sophisticated transactions, such as the acquisition of hundreds of aircraft for major global airlines, mergers and acquisitions, as well as bet-the-company litigation, to capitalize on new opportunities and drive their businesses forward. We also assist with the drafting of internal and external documents, including safety and operation manuals, for all areas of transportation as well as warehousing service agreements, for carriers/broker/shippers and other transportation clients. In addition, we monitor and lobby for developments in state, federal, and international regulations that impact the transportation industry and help our clients adopt compliant policies and procedures.
We work closely with our clients in critical business decisions, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as with vetting vendors and other third parties for potential business relationships. This includes both transportation industry clients as well as sophisticated commercial shippers that rely on quality logistics solutions provided by third parties. Furthermore, we assist our clients in their relationships with these third parties by drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts, including those between logistics agencies and 3PL providers, freight forwarders and NVOCCs, brokers, carriers, warehousing and distribution centers, and commercial shippers. We also protect our clients’ branding and commercial presence by providing patent and trademark representation, from preparation to prosecution. As the transportation industry continues to adopt sophisticated technology to address logistics needs, our attorneys are poised to provide guidance to software and tech companies with transportation products, as well as to transportation companies deploying software solutions.
We are well-versed in the employment law challenges unique to the transportation industry, including non-compete agreements and disputes, FLSA wage and hour issues, class actions and collective bargaining, worker classification, FAA arbitration, OSHA safety matters, and Department of Transportation drug testing compliance. Our team advises clients through their compliance efforts in these areas and provides representation in complaints, claims, and litigation matters that may arise in state and federal courts and agencies.
We are extensively involved in litigation in the transportation industry, including the defense of trucking and shipping clients such as freight carriers, freight brokers, transportation insurers, public entities, long and short haul truckers, waste management groups operating both locally and across state lines, and commercial shippers. We also represent clients transporting goods over water, including ocean carriers, non-operating vessel ocean carriers, and ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs). Our litigation experience encompasses diverse challenges commonly encountered in these sectors, including issues of negligent hiring and retention, adherence to working hours regulations, analysis of Engine Control Module (ECM) data, communication and GPS tracking data, cargo loss and damage, cargo fraud, compliance with Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) requirements, and the intricacies of accident reconstruction.
We are extensively experienced with cargo and logistics, drawing on hundreds of years of collective practice experience in the supply chain arena. We represent a diverse array of supply chain operators and participants worldwide in matters such as federal and state operational, licensing, security, and regulatory requirements; contract negotiation; motor vehicle accidents; product safety; insurance; e-commerce platforms; customs; fraud; and cargo loss/freight claim litigation.