Doug Marcello
While politicians debate tariffs and tax policy, a hidden “lawsuit tax” is quietly inflating prices on groceries, consumer goods, and everything that moves by truck—which is nearly everything.
America’s litigation system has turned commercial trucks into “18-wheel ATMs.”
The “hit a truck, get a check” mentality isn’t just hurting trucking companies—it’s hitting your wallet every time you shop.
The Numbers Tell the Story
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been tracking this crisis:
47% — That’s how much trucking insurance rates increased from 2010-2020.
$529 billion — Total U.S. lawsuit costs in 2022, representing 2.1% of our entire GDP.
7.1% — Annual growth in lawsuit costs from 2016-2022. Compare that to inflation (3.4%) and GDP growth (5.4%). Lawsuit costs are growing faster than the economy itself.
$4,207 — What every American household pays annually as a “lawsuit tax.”
The Perryman Group dug even deeper in their 2023 study, isolating the excessive lawsuit costs—the amount above what a reasonable legal system should cost:
$342.9 billion in excessive lawsuit burden nationally.
$3,965 per household in costs that simply shouldn’t exist.
Why This Hits Your Grocery Bill First
Here’s what most people don’t realize: lawsuit abuse hits food prices hardest.
The Federal Highway Administration estimates that every $1 of agricultural products requires 14.2 cents in transportation services—compared to 9.1 cents for manufactured goods and about 8 cents for mining products.
Food depends on trucking more than any other sector.
When nuclear verdicts and runaway settlements drive up insurance costs, trucking companies pass those costs forward. And those costs land on your dinner table.
The Bottom Line
Affordability is the defining political issue of 2025.
Every candidate, every policy proposal, every economic plan is being measured against one question: Will this lower costs for American families?
Any serious conversation about affordability must include lawsuit reform.
You can’t fix inflation while ignoring the litigation tax embedded in every product that travels by truck.
