Updated October 12, 2026. This article explains the Supreme Court’s May 14, 2026 decision. It is general information, not legal advice.
Montgomery v. Caribe Transport: what the Court actually decided
After a truck crash, Shawn Montgomery sued freight broker C.H. Robinson, alleging that it had negligently selected a motor carrier. The carrier’s Conditional safety rating and other alleged safety deficiencies were part of Montgomery’s claim; the Supreme Court did not find that the broker was negligent.
The question before the Court was narrower: did the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA) prevent this kind of state-law negligent-selection claim against a freight broker? The Court held that the Act’s motor-vehicle-safety exception saves the claim from that federal preemption defense. It reversed the Seventh Circuit and sent the case back for further proceedings. Read the Supreme Court’s opinion in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC.
What the decision does not decide
- It does not decide whether C.H. Robinson or Caribe Transport was negligent or liable for the crash.
- It does not impose a new federal driver-file rule on every business whose employees drive.
- It does not decide the law for passenger-transportation affiliates, other FAAAA provisions, or every state-law claim involving a vehicle.
- It does not establish that insurance premiums will rise or that any particular recordkeeping program will prevent a lawsuit.
Those questions depend on different facts and laws. A passenger operator arranging an affiliate trip, for example, should not treat this freight-broker holding as a ruling about its own legal exposure.
A practical record check for freight-broker relationships
The opinion is a reason to examine how carrier-selection decisions are documented, not a court-approved checklist or a guarantee of a defense. A broker can ask its legal counsel what records and review process fit its operations and applicable state law. When a carrier’s safety information raises a question, record who reviewed it, when, and how the selection decision was made. Do not represent an allegation in this case as a proven deficiency in your own carrier or as a universal disqualification rule.
For motor carriers reviewing their own driver-file and audit-administration work, LBC Fleet’s compliance and driver-support services describe available administrative help. That service directory is not a broker-selection certification, legal opinion, or substitute for counsel.
The short version
Montgomery allows this alleged freight-broker negligent-selection claim to proceed past the FAAAA preemption issue. The merits remain for later proceedings. Keep the distinction between the Court’s holding, the plaintiff’s allegations, and operational questions for your own business.
