Wal-Mart and its cohorts are the most tempting, tantalizing, mouthwatering target for US trial lawyers. WM has a lot of money, does business in every state, and is a very labor-and-movement intensive business.

So, here comes along this article (or here or here) that talks in detail about how hundreds of thousands of truckers and bus drivers are still on the road despite being qualified for full federal disability payments.

That means someone who is so physically sick that the government is willing to pay them to sit at home, is going around your town driving a 5000 lb (2.5 ton) vehicle.

So, what business advice would I provide? If I was WM or a big shipper, I would put in a program to weed out all bad apples, trucker or driver or otherwise. If we do not do this, then WM is on the hook for a lot of money, should an accident happen. Just imagine the plaintiff attorney getting up and saying “WalMart let this bad trucker stay on the road, and he killed my client’s loved one”.

It’d be cheaper and much safer to implement your own safety and checks program.