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Fleets today face a growing threat—not on the road, but in the courtroom, where claims litigation can cause insurance premium increases and even nuclear verdicts.
Our 2025 Claims Experience Report shows that jury verdicts pose a serious business risk to fleets, especially if the court decides to impose a million-dollar verdict.
And fleet decision makers are feeling the strain: over a quarter of them fear an increase in insurance premiums and over half “don’t feel very or extremely” prepared to handle potentially catastrophic financial consequences.
Rising premiums top the list of litigation concerns:
With 27% of respondents naming premium hikes as their top concern, it’s clear that claims-related legal pressures take a serious financial toll on fleets.
A single claim can impact premiums for three to five years, and many fleets already operate on razor-thin margins. Continuous premium increases can mean the difference between staying in business or shutting down operations.
Our report shows that increased premiums are not the only fear, with fleets also pointing to vehicle downtime and reputational damage as key concerns.
Top litigation concerns for fleets:
- 27% fear insurance premium increases
- 22% fear extended resolution/vehicle downtime
- 20% list company reputation damage as concern
- 18% worry about legal expenses
- 13% worry about nuclear verdict risks
Fleets underprepared for nuclear verdicts:
While nuclear verdicts, court-judgements costing between $10 million and $100 million, are rare, the majority of fleets do not feel "very or extremely prepared" to handle the potential losses.
Their responses break down as follows:
- 17% feel extremely prepared
- 29% say they’re very prepared
- 27% say they’re moderately prepared
- 18% say they’re only slightly prepared
- 9% admit they’re not prepared at all
While the vast majority of fleets are well aware of their exposure to nuclear verdicts—thanks to widespread coverage of multi-million dollar jury awards over the past decade—many still feel unprepared for this risk. These verdicts can reach eight and nine figures, wiping out years of profit in an instant, yet the gap between awareness and actual preparedness remains troublingly wide.
In 2024, a logging truck case resulted in a publicly reported $141 million verdict stemming from a multi-vehicle crash—more than enough to surpass the net worth of many carriers.
There are many reasons fleets can feel underprepared for these types of verdicts, including operational strains (like driver training difficulties and driver turnover) or a lack of evidence for court judgements (such as incomplete documentation and data).
Compliance gaps fuel litigation risks:
Even with a strong focus on safety and federal/state compliance, many fleets remain exposed to nuclear verdict scenarios.
The biggest vulnerabilities are compliance execution and documentation:
- 44% struggle to keep pace with evolving regulations
- 38% grapple with maintenance recordkeeping and/or driver qualification files
- 36% struggle with multi-state regulatory differences and/or understanding complex requirements.
Incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly retained records let attorneys argue patterns of negligence and weak oversight. The bottom line: A lack of airtight, retrievable documentation can turn otherwise defensible incidents into risky lawsuits.
A path forward: how to be truly prepared for the risk of litigation:
Our report shows that fleets clearly value safety, but only 46% feel prepared for major legal challenges, while premium increases remain the top concern for 27%. That gap signals a need to go beyond traditional insurance and basic compliance.
The right partners should bring more than a policy:
- Technology integration with dashcams and ELDs that captures and preserves incident data to defend claims
- Claims adjusters and experts that are versed in using technology-based evidence to advocate for them
- Guidance to triage small losses early so they don’t escalate into lawsuits
- Strategies and loss control professionals that control today’s costs and stabilize long‑term premium impacts
As the industry evolves, fleets should look for insurance providers that pair strong safety programs with modern evidence technology. Get a quote today from Nirvana Tech or download the report to learn more.
About the survey and respondents:
This research was conducted by Nirvana Insurance in partnership with Ledger360 to understand the evolving needs and priorities of fleet operators in the commercial trucking industry. The study surveyed 100 qualified fleet decision-makers across diverse industry sectors, fleet sizes, and geographic regions throughout the United States. Participants included fleet operations managers, senior transportation executives, safety and compliance professionals, key decision-makers directly involved in insurance purchasing and claims management processes.
Fleets today face a growing threat—not on the road, but in the courtroom, where claims litigation can cause insurance premium increases and even nuclear verdicts.
Our 2025 Claims Experience Report shows that jury verdicts pose a serious business risk to fleets, especially if the court decides to impose a million-dollar verdict.
And fleet decision makers are feeling the strain: over a quarter of them fear an increase in insurance premiums and over half “don’t feel very or extremely” prepared to handle potentially catastrophic financial consequences.
Rising premiums top the list of litigation concerns:
With 27% of respondents naming premium hikes as their top concern, it’s clear that claims-related legal pressures take a serious financial toll on fleets.
A single claim can impact premiums for three to five years, and many fleets already operate on razor-thin margins. Continuous premium increases can mean the difference between staying in business or shutting down operations.
Our report shows that increased premiums are not the only fear, with fleets also pointing to vehicle downtime and reputational damage as key concerns.
Top litigation concerns for fleets:
- 27% fear insurance premium increases
- 22% fear extended resolution/vehicle downtime
- 20% list company reputation damage as concern
- 18% worry about legal expenses
- 13% worry about nuclear verdict risks
Fleets underprepared for nuclear verdicts:
While nuclear verdicts, court-judgements costing between $10 million and $100 million, are rare, the majority of fleets do not feel "very or extremely prepared" to handle the potential losses.
Their responses break down as follows:
- 17% feel extremely prepared
- 29% say they’re very prepared
- 27% say they’re moderately prepared
- 18% say they’re only slightly prepared
- 9% admit they’re not prepared at all
While the vast majority of fleets are well aware of their exposure to nuclear verdicts—thanks to widespread coverage of multi-million dollar jury awards over the past decade—many still feel unprepared for this risk. These verdicts can reach eight and nine figures, wiping out years of profit in an instant, yet the gap between awareness and actual preparedness remains troublingly wide.
In 2024, a logging truck case resulted in a publicly reported $141 million verdict stemming from a multi-vehicle crash—more than enough to surpass the net worth of many carriers.
There are many reasons fleets can feel underprepared for these types of verdicts, including operational strains (like driver training difficulties and driver turnover) or a lack of evidence for court judgements (such as incomplete documentation and data).
Compliance gaps fuel litigation risks:
Even with a strong focus on safety and federal/state compliance, many fleets remain exposed to nuclear verdict scenarios.
The biggest vulnerabilities are compliance execution and documentation:
- 44% struggle to keep pace with evolving regulations
- 38% grapple with maintenance recordkeeping and/or driver qualification files
- 36% struggle with multi-state regulatory differences and/or understanding complex requirements.
Incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly retained records let attorneys argue patterns of negligence and weak oversight. The bottom line: A lack of airtight, retrievable documentation can turn otherwise defensible incidents into risky lawsuits.
A path forward: how to be truly prepared for the risk of litigation:
Our report shows that fleets clearly value safety, but only 46% feel prepared for major legal challenges, while premium increases remain the top concern for 27%. That gap signals a need to go beyond traditional insurance and basic compliance.
The right partners should bring more than a policy:
- Technology integration with dashcams and ELDs that captures and preserves incident data to defend claims
- Claims adjusters and experts that are versed in using technology-based evidence to advocate for them
- Guidance to triage small losses early so they don’t escalate into lawsuits
- Strategies and loss control professionals that control today’s costs and stabilize long‑term premium impacts
As the industry evolves, fleets should look for insurance providers that pair strong safety programs with modern evidence technology. Get a quote today from Nirvana Tech or download the report to learn more.
About the survey and respondents:
This research was conducted by Nirvana Insurance in partnership with Ledger360 to understand the evolving needs and priorities of fleet operators in the commercial trucking industry. The study surveyed 100 qualified fleet decision-makers across diverse industry sectors, fleet sizes, and geographic regions throughout the United States. Participants included fleet operations managers, senior transportation executives, safety and compliance professionals, key decision-makers directly involved in insurance purchasing and claims management processes.
