Section 18.001 Affidavits and Hospital Liens

On September 1, 2019, a major change to Chapter 18.001 of the Civil Practices and Remedies Code goes into effect with long-lasting ramifications for Texas attorneys and their clients. Chapter 18.001 outlines deadlines for serving affidavits and counter-affidavits concerning reasonableness of charges for and necessity of medical services. For attorneys offering an affidavit, the language of the new statute requires the party serve a copy of the affidavit by the earlier of: 90 days of the date the Defendant files an answer OR, The date the offering party must designate any expert witness pursuant to either a Court issued scheduling order...

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FMCSA Crash Fault in Carrier Scores

As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) program, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is making plans to remove certain types of crashes from a carriers’ score. FMCSA is scheduled to share their plan soon and will then allow comments for 60 days. If the rule is made final it would begin on October 1, 2019. The rule allows carriers, including owner-operators, the ability to dispute 15 types of crashes and have the associated points in the disputed crash removed from their Crash Indicator BASIC percentile ranking (which is essentially their “score”) in this category....

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Uber Freight: Simplifying the Entire Booking Process

Since September of 2018, Uber Technologies has been testing Uber Freight in the Texas Triangle area for van and refrigerator deliveries. In June of 2019 the full truck-load freight brokerage announced their nationwide roll out. Their goal is to help owner-operator shipping carriers book loads more easily. Its purpose is to simplify the entire booking process. All you have to do is log in to your account, enter your pick-up and drop off information, and then you receive an instant quote. If you like the quoted rate, you can book the shipment. This platform matches commercial shippers with truck drivers looking...

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ATAA Teams UP With Trucking School

Michael Cowen Takes the Wheel with a Hands-On Approach to Better Understanding Trucking and Truck Drivers ATAAhas teamed up with a trucking school to offer ATAA (Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys) members a unique trucking program. This program in Montana includes classroom work with instructors experienced in trucking litigation, accident causation, vehicle maintenance and proper vehicle operation combined with real hands-on experience behind the wheel of a big-rig. You may have seen a video on our law firm social media recently, of Michael Cowen taking this course and his experience with the program. As an ATAA member, Cowen took advantage of this...

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