Practice Areas & Industries: Roetzel & Andress, A Legal Professional Association

Practice/Industry Group Overview

The Transportation Law group of Roetzel & Andress provides counsel and strategic planning in all segments of the transportation industry, in domestic and international issues, and handles contract and agreement negotiation for companies all across the industry. Representation of transportation service providers includes corporate matters, labor affairs, contract negotiations, real estate transactions, the implementation and coordination of immediate response teams, civil litigation in all federal and state courts, and advice regarding compliance with existing federal and state laws, as well as proposed and pending legislation.

Our attorneys focus on the motor carrier, passenger, air, water, third-party logistic providers, and rail transportation segments of the transportation and logistics industries. In addition to direct suppliers and users of such services, our transportation attorneys' client base includes third-party logistics providers; private fleets; commercial vessels; barge and shipping industries on the Inland Rivers, Great Lakes, and the Gulf, including cargo, employment, Jones Act; collision and environmental issues related to water borne commerce; brokers; insurance specialists, and insurance carriers, in areas such as litigation, transactional, and contractual assignments. The firm's clients represent a cross-section of carriers such as couriers; package; less-than-truckload; truckload; general freight; liquid and dry bulk; temperature-controlled; public transit; and rail carriers; as well as, airlines; domestic freight forwarders; transportation brokers; and insurers of the industry.

The Transportation Law group is experienced and aware of any industry issues that affect both shippers and carriers who deal with the many challenges of delivering, transporting, and receiving commercial goods in interstate, intrastate, and foreign commerce. They offer our clients integrated knowledge and an experienced understanding of how legal issues within the transportation industry incorporate a broad scope of other practice area services within our firm.

Services Available

• Commercial transactions
• Driver leasing
• Emergency response protocol and services
• Equipment leasing
• Hazardous materials
• Independent contractor / employee status
• Insurance coverage
• International law
• Labor and employment
• Mergers and acquisitions and corporate structuring
• Multi-modal coverage
• Personal injury, property damage and cargo claims
• Regulatory compliance
• Risk management services
• Taxation
• Trucking litigation and counseling
• Workers' compensation

Representative Matters

• Served as national counsel, regional counsel, or an equivalent role for numerous transportation carriers, insurance carriers, retail entities, and other businesses.
• Represented major transportation carriers and insurers in local, regional, and national liability litigation.
• Represented major transportation carriers in local, regional, and national cargo claims litigation.
• Served as coordinated counsel for emergency response protocol for transportation, retail, and business clients involving catastrophic accidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Served as national transportation counsel for several large retail grocers.
• Counsel to seven large bus companies operating throughout central and northern Ohio.
• Participated in worker classification matters on a national basis related to owner-operators.
• Represented several motor carriers in various segments within the industry regarding the creation and establishment of preventative owner/operator/independent contractor operation models, including their requisite contractual documentation and ongoing training.
• Represented several major motor carriers before the national Office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding worker classification issues.
• Significant experience in shipper/carrier contractual relationships and shipper/broker and carrier/broker relationships involving several Fortune 100 retailers.
• Represented a transit authority in the acquisition of properties for development of a rail line and completed associated environmental due diligence activities.
• Negotiated property-related agreements and joint facility agreements.