You're Invited to Speak
The 2026 Nashville Driver Legitimacy Summit is assembling the nation's foremost voices on CDL fraud, cargo theft, and freight protection. We'd be honored to have yours on the stage.
Why Speak
- Share your expertise with shippers, carriers, enforcement, and policymakers
- Join a national panel shaping freight-protection legislation
- Featured placement on the Summit agenda and speaker directory
- Share the stage with an expanding roster of recognized VIPs — leaders from FMCSA, state legislatures, enforcement, and industry who will be confirmed as invitations continue
Who We're Seeking
- Shippers and shipping-company leaders responsible for releasing freight at the dock
- Cargo-theft investigators, fraud analysts, and recovery professionals
- Driver-verification and CDL-legitimacy experts
- Brokers, carriers, and insurers who confirm custody before a load moves
The Summit at a Glance
Three days of sessions across the legal landscape, the proper transfer of custody, and federal–state collaboration. When you register, you'll indicate which session(s) you'd like to join.
Wednesday · September 23
The Legal Landscape: FAAAA & State Authority
1:00–1:20 PM — Why States Must Protect Their Roads
Featured Welcome — Tennessee Lt. Governor Randy McNally
Opening address: when freight is released at the dock, do we know who is taking custody — and do states have the authority and responsibility to confirm it?
1:20–2:05 PM — The Supreme Court & the FAAAA Safety Exception
Montgomery v. Caribe — Involving C.H. Robinson
Examines the ruling clarifying the FAAAA preemption safety exception and what it means for states protecting their own highways from unlicensed, uninsured, and illegal drivers.
2:25–3:05 PM — Unlicensed, Uninsured & Illegal Drivers
The Threat on State Roads
The gap between the credentials presented at the dock and the person actually behind the wheel — fraudulent CDLs, unverified carriers, and unauthorized substitutions.
3:20–4:05 PM — Cargo Theft & Unauthorized Dock Pickups
Where Verification Is Not in Place
Case studies of fraudulent pickups, identity fraud, double brokering, and unauthorized carrier substitutions that proceeded because verification failed.
4:05–4:45 PM — Industry Roundtable
Connecting the Dock to the Highway
Collaborative discussion across shipper, broker, carrier, driver, law enforcement, and state government on the gap between where custody changes and where the consequence shows up.
Thursday · September 24
The States' Role in Proper Transfer of Custody
9:15–10:00 AM — From Ruling to Responsibility
Tennessee's Response: The States' Role in the Proper Transfer of Custody
How the FAAAA safety exception translates into the state’s practical responsibility for proper transfer of custody before freight enters its highways. Tagline: Verify Before You Release.
10:15–11:00 AM — Session 1 — Verifying the Driver & the Carrier
Defining a reasonable point-of-pickup verification a state can recognize: driver identity, CDL integrity, carrier relationship, vehicle info, insurance, shipment authorization, and documentation.
11:00–11:45 AM — Session 2 — Cargo Theft & Fraudulent Pickup Case Studies
Actual and representative cargo-theft scenarios reframed as transfer-of-custody failures: what could have been verified at the dock.
12:45–1:30 PM — Session 3 — Brokers, Carriers & Shippers
The Information That Confirms Custody
How brokers help shippers confirm a proper handoff — expected carrier/driver, equipment, last-minute changes, and a "Do Not Release" procedure.
1:30–2:15 PM — Session 4 — The Shipper's Role in Transferring Custody
The Last Check Before Custody Changes Hands
Procedures at facility entrances, security gates, shipping offices, warehouses, distribution centers, and loading docks — the last place a state can expect custody to be confirmed.
2:30–3:15 PM — Session 5 — State Authority & Legal Liability
State legislative and regulatory options, civil liability for an unsafe transfer of custody, insurance reform, and attorney perspectives after Montgomery v. Caribe.
3:30–4:30 PM — Summit Working Session — Building the Custody-Transfer Verification Standard
The primary working session of the Summit: participants develop a practical verification framework states can adopt — what to verify, who verifies, when, and when not to release freight.
Friday · September 25
Federal–State Collaboration & the Legislative Path
9:00–9:45 AM — Featured Keynote — Derek Barrs
Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Cargo theft, driver legitimacy, and federal–state collaboration: how federal and state governments coordinate so no freight leaves the dock to an unverified driver.
10:00–10:45 AM — Federal + State + Industry Discussion
Aligning the FAAAA Safety Exception with Enforcement
How states, the federal government, law enforcement, and industry align so the dock and the highway work together under the affirmed state safety authority.
10:45–11:30 AM — Industry Roundtable
What Can States Implement Now?
A final solution-focused discussion across states, shippers, brokers, carriers, law enforcement, federal government, insurance, cargo security, and technology.