What is a Nuclear Verdict? 5 Steps to Reduce Risk in 2025

A judge holding a gavel above a sound block, with another hand holding a document on a wooden desk—a scene often seen in cases involving nuclear verdicts.

In 2025, a single accident could put your entire fleet at risk. Nuclear verdicts are reshaping the trucking and commercial vehicle industry, with jury awards soaring past $100 million and even reaching the billion-dollar mark. Learn what measures you could take to reduce risk and protect your business from this threat.

What is a Nuclear Verdict?

A nuclear verdict is a jury award that typically exceeds $10 million in damages. The term “nuclear” refers to the explosive financial and operational impact these verdicts can have on a company. In trucking and commercial vehicle cases, they most often arise from catastrophic crashes or fatalities. In such cases, juries don’t just assign blame to the driver; they conclude that the company itself failed in its duty of care, whether through inadequate training, weak compliance, or a perceived disregard for public safety.

Trucking Nuclear Verdict Cases

Recent research shows that 23.2% of all nuclear verdicts come from vehicle accidents. From those, one in four involves commercial trucking. That means nearly a quarter of these multi-million-dollar judgments are tied directly to transportation incidents.

Emergency responders attend to a street incident involving multiple people, as fire, ambulance, and police personnel work near emergency vehicles amid rising nuclear verdicts.

 In 2019, a Georgia jury awarded $280 million after a truck driver crossed the centerline, causing a crash that killed five people. Read more.

A person sits in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, using a smartphone while holding the steering wheel—a risky behavior that has contributed to rising nuclear verdicts.

 In 2021, a Florida jury issued a $1 billion verdict against a trucking company after a distracted driver, allegedly using his phone, caused a crash that killed a college student. Read more

Did you know? The number of verdicts exceeding $100 million reached a record in 2023. Certain states are more prone to outsized jury verdicts (aka ‘Thermonuclear Verdicts’), some of them include: California, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas, which accounted for 61% of such verdicts in the country.

The Landscape of Nuclear Verdicts in the U.S. 

Over the past decade, nuclear verdicts have become more frequent and larger in scale. Several trends are driving this rise:

  • Jury Sentiment Shift: Today’s jurors often have less trust in corporations and more sympathy for individuals, especially accident victims.
  • Reptile Theory Tactics: Plaintiff attorneys use strategies that focus on fear and safety, convincing jurors that a company’s negligence threatens the entire community.
  • Inflation of Awards: What seemed “large” a decade ago no longer carries the same weight, so verdict numbers have escalated.
  • Lack of Documentation: When companies can’t prove they followed safety and training protocols, jurors assume negligence.
  • Social Media & Awareness: High-profile accidents spread quickly, creating public pressure and influencing jury attitudes.

5 Steps to Reduce the Risk of a Nuclear Verdict

First and foremost, safety is non-negotiable. A strong safety culture is the foundation that protects both drivers and the business. When safety is prioritized at every level, it builds credibility and trust that can make all the difference in a courtroom.

Beyond creating this foundation, businesses can implement several risk-reduction strategies to strengthen their defense and lower exposure to nuclear verdicts:

1. Set Safety Protocols

Set and enforce company-wide safety standards that hold everyone accountable. Provide regular training programs to ensure employees understand and apply safe driving practices in real-world scenarios.

Establish clear rules regarding distracted driving, speed limits, and other safe driving behaviors to prevent small risks from becoming major incidents.

2. Document Everything

Keep driver qualification files, inspection logs, and compliance records up to date and organized. Proper documentation can help refute exaggerated claims, prove adherence to safety standards, and reduce the chances of an excessive jury award. 

3. Continuous Driver Monitoring

Monitor changes in driver behavior, such as driver records, violations, and safety scores. Catching risks early gives fleets the chance to take corrective action before problems escalate.

4. Leverage Safety Technology:

Incorporate telematics, ELDs, and dashcams to increase visibility across your fleet. These tools not only support safer operations but also supply objective data that can protect your business in litigation.

5. Review Insurance & Legal Coverage

Regularly evaluate insurance policies and legal protections to ensure they’re strong enough to cover today’s high-dollar claims. Adequate coverage reduces financial vulnerability in the event of a catastrophic accident.

Reducing Nuclear Verdict Exposure With Proactive Safety

Nuclear verdicts are reshaping the legal and financial landscape for transportation companies, but fleets are not powerless against this threat. By strengthening safety programs, maintaining compliance, and embracing technology, carriers can create a culture of accountability that reduces exposure in the courtroom. 

Our solutions are designed to give fleets the necessary visibility. With ongoing driver record monitoring, DQF manager, CSA monitoring, and online training, you can identify and address risks early, demonstrate compliance, and safeguard your operation against the growing threat of nuclear verdicts.  

Ready to reduce risk and strengthen compliance? Book a demo. 

*We are not lawyers. Consult with your legal counsel to ensure your processes and procedures meet/ or exceed safety standards and compliance regulations. Please read our legal disclaimer.

Related Articles