Reps. Mike Collins, R-Ga., and Brandon Gill, R-Texas, have introduced legislation that, if passed, will make it a federal crime to intentionally stage a crash with a commercial motor vehicle.
"Criminal elements are launching an assault against America's truckers, in the courtroom and on our roads," Collins said in an announcement Tuesday about the bill, called the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act.
"Staged accidents take advantage of truckers' high insurance coverage and make them prime targets for criminals looking for a quick payday, saddling truckers with millions of dollars in inflated damages, increasing insurance premiums for all Americans, and driving up the costs for every transported good."
Gill added that protecting truck drivers from criminal fraud "is essential to keeping our highways safe and our economy moving."
"With Texas being a critical freight corridor for our entire economy, we must send a clear message: staging a crash with a commercial vehicle isn't a payday — it's a federal crime," Gill said.
The Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act is supported by the American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Truckload Carriers Association, the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, and the Texas Trucking Association.
American Trucking Associations Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs Henry Hanscom, applauding the proposed legislation, said that when "con artists seeking a big payday intentionally collide with commercial motor vehicles, their reckless disregard for safety puts innocent truck drivers and the motoring public at risk."
Their frivolous lawsuits, Hanscom said, raise consumer goods costs and contribute to soaring insurance premiums.
"By establishing clear, enforceable criminal penalties that apply to all of the conspirators involved in staged collisions, we can finally put an end to this dangerous and costly practice," he said.
Seth Millican, president & CEO of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, commented that with truckers still recovering from a multi-year freight recession, higher insurance rates and operational costs, and depressed volumes, the legislation is vital.
"One in 12 Georgians works in the trucking industry, spread across 95,000+ companies, [and] 76% of Georgia communities are completely dependent on truckers to deliver the goods they need," said Millican. "Our industry moves over 363,000 tons of manufactured goods each day in Georgia – 96.9% of total manufactured tonnage."
"Our industry is facing new threats from highly sophisticated cargo theft and accident staging," said Millican. "The Georgia Motor Trucking Association has been the voice of Georgia's trucking industry for over 90 years, and we are grateful to Congressman Collins and Congressman Gill for their steadfast leadership on behalf of our industry."
Lewie Pugh, the executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, insisted that staged accidents are not victimless crimes, but are "calculated, premeditated assaults that endanger lives, destroy livelihoods, and compromise highway safety."
John D. Esparza, president and CEO of the Texas Trucking Association, added that the legislation will protect truckers and companies from staged accidents that jeopardize road safety while imposing significant financial burdens on the trucking industry.
"Increasingly, con artists in passenger vehicles are intentionally colliding with commercial motor vehicles to file frivolous lawsuits, seeking damages that often exceed seven figures," said Esparza.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.