LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A new bill being discussed at the Nevada Legislature is trying to raise liability insurance for intrastate truck companies.
The increase would go from $750,000, which is the federal standard, to $1.5 million by 2030.
Las Vegas residents in the trucking business are fearful that this will ultimately affect their bottom line. Nenad Mitrovic, owner of Desert Eagle Transportation LLC told 8 News Now that if the bill goes through, he will most likely move his business.
“I really think it’s going to affect a lot of small businesses, and a lot of people are going to have to move out of Nevada and close down because they won’t be able to stay profitable anymore,” Mitrovic shared.
In the Senate’s Growth and Infrastructure Committee meeting, that same sentiment was addressed by Senator Carrie Buck.
“It seems to punish Nevada owned businesses and I don’t see why it wouldn’t prevent them from going and opening up shop in another state that doesn’t have this provision,” Senator Buck added.
Ultimately, the bill passed in an 11 to 10 vote. Jamie Cogburn with the Nevada Justice Association was in favor of the bill. He says that with inflation and the cost of living being so high, the increase is necessary.
“Medical cost have skyrocketed during this time frame so this is a modernization,” Cogburn told 8 News Now. “When you’re talking about these kinds of crashes, they are not little fender benders or crashes where a lot of people walk away from.”
While medical costs have risen all across the country, Cogburn also noted that Nevada has seen an influx of truck crashes in the past decade.
“When you look at the statistic from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2011-2021, Nevada has doubled in the number of fatalities in trucking crashes,” he shared.
If Senate Bill 180 is passed by both the Senate and the Assembly, it will move to Governor Lombardo’s office for final approval. Nevada would join New Jersey in being the only other state to pass this law.
