The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a rule clarifying how Charge Complaints under 46 U.S.C. § 41310 may be filed. Shippers are not limited to the FMC’s no-fee interim email process. They may also pursue Charge Complaints through the commission’s traditional formal or small claims complaint procedures. No matter which route is used, complaints
In response to rapidly developing El Niño conditions, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has reduced maximum vessel draft limits. The situation may get worse next year, so shippers with Canal-dependent trade lanes should take mitigating steps now before conditions deteriorate further.
The ACP has already imposed five successive draft reductions as vessel backlogs continue to
Since the May 2026 Supreme Court decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, four federal district courts have taken up the question of whether its safety exception applies to cargo theft claims, and they have all decided no.
Taken together, these decisions reflect a shared rationale that cargo theft amounts to “deception-induced deprivation
After the May 2026 Supreme Court ruling in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, one critical question remained unanswered: whether the safety exception extends to cargo theft and property loss claims. Three recent federal district court decisions have determined that it does not. These rulings provide much needed clarity on how to distinguish property
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced on June 18, 2026 that the chief engineer aboard the M/V Dali at the time of the March 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge allision has entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the United States in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation arising from
On May 27, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted summary judgment in favor of Husch Blackwell client, Continuum Transportation Services Ltd. (Continuum).
On May 28, in Flowers Foods Inc. v. Brock, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a worker transporting goods can qualify for the Federal Arbitration Act’s Section 1 exemption without crossing state lines or interacting with vehicles that do.
The Supreme Court’s unanimous May 28, 2026, decision in Flowers Foods, Inc. v. Brock significantly broadens the Federal Arbitration Act’s Section 1 transportation-worker exemption by holding that workers performing exclusively intrastate deliveries as part of a larger interstate supply chain qualify as “engaged in interstate commerce” and are therefore exempt from compelled arbitration—even when they
The Federal Maritime Commission’s May 13, 2026, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would significantly revise and modernize its rulemaking procedures by simplifying existing requirements, aligning with current eRulemaking practices, and expanding opportunities for public participation—particularly by making it easier for stakeholders to petition for new or revised regulations.
The proposal signals a shift toward earlier and
The Court’s unanimous ruling in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC issued today resolves a split among circuit courts of appeal and is a significant development for the trucking industry, injured parties, and the thousands of brokers who arrange transportation for freight shipped nationwide.
To learn more about the specifics of the ruling and what