2025 SMC Q1 Meeting

Register for the first quarter meeting of the Arkansas Trucking Association Safety Management Council to be held Wednesday, February 26 at 10:30 am at FedEx, 2200 Forward Drive, Harrison, AR 72601.

Stay tuned for session details.

2025 SMC Meetings Sponsored By

 

Session 1: Preparing for a Deposition

Presented by Greg Jones, Attorney, Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP

Tractor trailer wrecks not only disrupt operations and cause injury, but increasingly they generate protracted litigation. And while litigation normally conjures up visions of courtroom activities, over 95% of all civil cases end up being resolved before trial. So, what does that mean? It means that pre-trial activities – and especially activities known as “discovery” –assume greater importance than ever before.

Hand-in-hand with that development is the fact that, while plaintiffs’ counsel used to focus almost exclusively on the driver’s behavior, they now prefer to put the whole company on trial. They do that by engaging in protracted, often scripted questioning – not just of the driver - but also of the trucking company’s safety director. And they employ that tactic because safety directors often don’t know how, or take too little time, to adequately prepare to be questioned.

In the first phase of this presentation, Jones will address this changed discovery landscape.

Session 2: Practicing a Deposition

Presented by Greg Jones, Attorney, Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP

In the second phase, Jones will lead a live demonstration featuring two real safety managers to help show you what you can expect – not if but when your company is dragged into litigation.

SMC Meeting Participants will

• understand changing litigation tactics and how to respond
• learn which conventional preparation techniques are outdated
• review steps a company can take to insure deposition preparedness for drivers and safety representatives

During his 42 years of trial practice, Greg Jones has handled significant high-stakes litigation in a wide variety of areas including transportation, products liability, civil rights and employment, constitutional law, and commercial disputes. His practice focuses principally on representing trucking companies in catastrophic injury cases.

Jones holds a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Virginia and is admitted to the Bars of Arkansas, the District of Columbia, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Jones practices with the law firm of Wright, Lindsey & Jennings and has served over 15 years as outside general counsel for the Arkansas Trucking Association, Inc. He has represented the association, as well as the American Trucking Associations in litigation impacting the trucking industry.

Council Attendance Policy

In order to provide proper accommodations, we must guarantee a headcount in advance.

For ATA members who submit meeting registration by the February 21 deadline and attend, there is no fee. ATA members who attend without registering or register but do not attend will be charged $25. Out of courtesy, if you decide to attend after the registration deadline, please contact ATA. We welcome guests and non-members to Council meetings for $50.

Refunds and Cancellations:

Deadline to register is Friday, February 21. For more information regarding administrative polices such as refunds and/or complaints, please contact our office at 501-372-3462 or send an email to getinfo@arkansastrucking.com.