01 December

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Cowen’s Big Rig Boot Camp

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In October, we held “Cowen’s Big Rig Boot Camp,” a full day of informative sessions focused on trucking litigation for CLE credit. One seminar was hosted in McAllen and the other in San Antonio. Michael Cowen presented on a variety of topics to our sold-out audiences. He covered how to get evidence of corporate wrongdoing admitted at trial, data mining the truck and the driver through cellphone forensics, electronic control modules, GPS and telematics, as well as establishing corporate liability in distracted driving cases. He also discussed federal rules and regulations and how to use them in trucking cases, ways to...

26 September

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Amazon Next-Day Delivery Dangers

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in Trucking Accidents

Amazon is the biggest retailer on the planet with customers in 180 countries. It has disrupted numerous industries and dominated the e-commerce market. But it’s a recent news article after a yearlong investigation, that has shed light on how their next-day delivery has created unsafe conditions on the road and how Amazon is able to walk away from any liability. Amazon's next-day delivery has not only encouraged, but catapulted, the wants and needs of individuals who expect instant gratification. You’re out of your favorite cookies, you forgot to buy a birthday gift, your office needs more legal notepads, the list goes...

03 September

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FMCSA Crash Fault in Carrier Scores

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in Law, Research, Trucking Accidents

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....

12 July

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ATAA Teams UP With Trucking School

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in Law, Training, Trucking Accidents

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...

13 March

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Attorney Michael Cowen Achieves Board Certification In Truck Accident Law By The National Board Of Trial Advocacy

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in Personal Injury, Press Release, Trucking Accidents

SAN ANTONIO, TX, March 12, 2019 /24-7 Press Release/ The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) is pleased to announce Michael Cowen, Founding Partner of the law firm, Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock has successfully achieved Board Certification as a Truck Accident Law advocate. The NBTA was formed out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards illustrating an attorney's experience and expertise in the practice of trial law. Michael Cowen joins an exclusive number of trial attorneys...

08 March

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Meet the Latest Technology to Prevent Distracted Driving Events

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in Trucking Accidents

At Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock, we specialize in trucking cases. Too many times we’ve seen the effects of what distracted driving can do. Last month we shared information on the new Trimble/Pulsar Informatics technology taking on distracted driving. This month we’re sharing information on Guardian, which has already been on the market, combats this issue differently, and has the results to show. Introducing Guardian Guardian is a technology which prevents driver fatigue and distraction related events in real time, helping to stop accidents before they even happen. Guardian uses face and gaze-tracking algorithms to measure a driver’s head position and eye closure....

23 November

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WHY TRUCKING COMPANIES HIRE UNSAFE DRIVERS

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in Trucking Accidents

In case after case, we see truck drivers with bad driving records cause yet another crash. Given that trucking companies are required by law to check their drivers’ records, I wondered why they would keep hiring unsafe drivers. I did a little digging, and learned the answer was painfully obvious: to make more money. Trucking companies make money by hauling loads. An empty truck makes no money. In fact, an empty truck costs the company money because the company still has to pay insurance, make the truck payment, etc. A typical over-the-road or regional truck generates $800 to $1,000 per day in...

09 October

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TTLA CAR WRECKS CLE SEMINAR

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in Personal Injury, Trucking Accidents

This week attorney Michael Cowen presented at the TTLA Car Wrecks CLE Seminar in Dallas, Texas. The full day seminar included attorney speakers and attendees from all over the state Texas. In his presentation "Maximizing CMV Cases," attorney Cowen spoke to his colleagues on the major differences between a car wreck and a trucking wreck case. Topics included how quickly an attorney must act in order to preserve evidence, the different ways trucking companies can be at fault by focusing on profit before safety and resourceful places to find documentation to prove your case without spending as much money on an...

09 July

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PROVING CORPORATE NEGLIGENCE IN COMPANY VEHICLE CRASH CASES

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in Trucking Accidents

Proving corporate misconduct is a proven path to a big verdict. Juries are more likely to have a “reptilian” response and render a verdict that protects their community when the evidence shows a corporation made choices that endangered the public. In trucking cases, we have the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as a guide for what companies are supposed to do. But how do we set the standard for business other than trucking companies? One answer is ANSI Standard Z15.1: Safe Practices for Motor Vehicle Operations. ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, is a non-profit company that sets out consensus safety...