Recent transportation settlements have moved hundreds of millions of dollars across trucking, ride-hail, transit, and aviation disputes. The biggest by dollar value is Volvo Group North America’s $196.5 million deal with California air regulators over heavy-duty truck emissions, finalized in May 2026. Close behind sits New York City’s agreement to pay up to $140 million to roughly 19,000 to 20,000 taxi and for-hire drivers whose licenses were summarily suspended. Several smaller but consequential cases closed alongside them, covering hiring discrimination, retirement plan fees, in-cab biometric surveillance, and driver pay.
Volvo’s $196.5 Million California Emissions Settlement
Volvo Group North America finalized a $196.5 million settlement with the California Air Resources Board on May 18, 2026. CARB alleged that more than 10,000 Volvo heavy-duty truck engines from model years 2010 through 2016 used auxiliary emission control devices that were never properly disclosed during the state’s certification process, causing nitrogen oxide emissions to exceed certified thresholds.1Trucking Dive. Volvo Group North America Takes Nearly $197M Hit in CARB Settlement
The payment splits four ways:
- $108 million for emission-reduction projects in California, with proposals due to CARB within one year.
- $71 million into CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund.
- $12.5 million in civil penalties.
- $5 million to reimburse CARB’s investigation costs.2Volvo Group. Volvo Group North America Has Made a Settlement With CARB
Volvo also agreed to provide software updates and a partial warranty extension for about 7,200 model year 2014–2016 engines still operating in California. The company did not admit liability and said an internal review found no evidence of bad faith.2Volvo Group. Volvo Group North America Has Made a Settlement With CARB
NYC Taxi Driver Suspension Settlement
New York City agreed to pay up to $140 million to resolve Nnebe v. Daus, a class action challenging the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s practice of summarily suspending drivers’ licenses after arrests without meaningful hearings. The class covers roughly 19,000 to 20,000 taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers whose licenses were suspended between June 28, 2003, and February 18, 2020.3Gothamist. NYC Settles Lawsuit With Thousands of Cab Drivers for $140M
Payouts scale with the length of the suspension, topping out at $36,000 per driver for suspensions longer than 391 days.4The New York Times. NYC Taxi Drivers Settlement A final approval hearing was held on August 13, 2025, and as of mid-2026 the settlement is awaiting a final ruling. Drivers submit claims through a dedicated website.5TLC Suspension Claims. TLC Suspension Claims A 2019 federal appeals court ruling found the TLC’s suspension practices unconstitutional, and the agency amended its disciplinary rules in 2022 to require a finding that a driver poses a “direct and substantial threat to public health or safety” before a suspension can continue.
Massachusetts Uber and Lyft Driver Settlement
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s $175 million settlement with Uber ($148 million) and Lyft ($27 million) continued paying out through 2025 and into 2026. Settlement administrator Rust Consulting began mailing restitution checks to about 70,800 eligible drivers in early September 2025.6Boston Business Journal. Settlement Uber Lyft Payments Eligibility covers drivers who completed rides in Massachusetts between July 14, 2020, and July 2, 2024.
Individual amounts come from a formula built on company data: drivers whose average earnings fell below $34.48 per hour get 10 cents per mile driven, while those at or above that threshold get 6 cents per mile. The amounts are final, with no appeal. Drivers who believe they are owed more can request a “private right of action letter” from the Attorney General’s office to pursue their own lawsuit.7Massachusetts Attorney General. Uber and Lyft Settlement Information and Frequently Asked Questions
The settlement also built in ongoing benefits. As of January 15, 2026, Massachusetts drivers receive a minimum earnings floor of $34.48 per hour of engaged time (adjusted annually for inflation), one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, and health insurance stipends of up to $358 per month for drivers averaging 25 or more hours per week.7Massachusetts Attorney General. Uber and Lyft Settlement Information and Frequently Asked Questions
Central Transport Hiring Discrimination Settlement
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced on May 15, 2026, that Central Transport, LLC agreed to pay $5.5 million to resolve a federal lawsuit alleging the company systematically refused to hire qualified female truck drivers for at least a decade. The case, EEOC v. Central Transport, LLC (Case No. 2:26-cv-02201-JJT) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, was resolved by an early consent decree signed by Judge John J. Tuchi.8EEOC. EEOC Reaches Early $5.5 Million Resolution With Central Transport Over Nationwide Sex Discrimination
The EEOC said the company passed over qualified women for less qualified male applicants, used more rigorous hiring procedures for women, and in some cases discarded female applicants’ paperwork in the trash. At terminals including Phoenix and El Paso, no women drivers were hired for years. A dispatcher in West Virginia reportedly received corporate instructions not to hire women at a specific terminal.9Trucking Dive. Central Transport Reaches $5.5M Settlement With EEOC
The payment breaks down as 25% back pay and 75% compensatory damages. The decree also requires Central Transport to retain an outside consultant to review its hiring policies, run anti-discrimination training, appoint a compliance monitor reporting to the EEOC, and let affected applicants re-apply free from discrimination and retaliation.8EEOC. EEOC Reaches Early $5.5 Million Resolution With Central Transport Over Nationwide Sex Discrimination
Knight-Swift Retirement Plan Settlement
A federal judge granted final approval to a $3 million class action settlement against Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings on May 6, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Senior Judge Roslyn O. Silver overruled a single objection and entered final judgment the following day.10PACER Monitor. Hagins et al v. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Incorporated
The suit, Hagins et al. v. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc. (Case No. 2:22-cv-01835), alleged breach of fiduciary duty tied to excessive administrative fees in the company’s 401(k) plan. Knight-Swift denied the allegations. The class covers roughly 100,000 workers who participated in the retirement plan between October 26, 2016, and November 26, 2025.11Trucking Dive. Court OKs $3M Payout in Knight-Swift Employee Retirement Case No claim form is required. Payments are automatic and pro-rata, based on average account balance during the class period, and anything calculating under $10 results in a zero payout.12Knight-Swift ERISA Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions
Lytx Biometric Data Settlement
A federal judge in Illinois approved a $4.25 million settlement in Lewis v. Lytx, Inc. (Case No. 3:22-cv-00046-NJR) after a July 24, 2025 final approval hearing. The case alleged that Lytx, which makes in-cab camera and telematics systems, collected drivers’ biometric data through its DriveCam Event Recorders without proper notice or consent, violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.13Lytx Settlement. Lewis v. Lytx Settlement
The class included about 25,000 Illinois residents and 60,000 non-Illinois residents who drove Lytx-equipped vehicles between October 12, 2016, and January 1, 2025. The fund was split evenly between the two sub-classes. Estimated payouts ran from roughly $35 to $85 depending on residency, with the possibility of rising to about $213 and $511 respectively if few class members filed valid claims.14FreightWaves. Drivers Settle Class Action With Lytx Over In-Cab Surveillance Data Gathering All payments have now been disbursed.13Lytx Settlement. Lewis v. Lytx Settlement
Congestion Pricing: The Settlement That Started the Program, and the Court Fight That Followed
New York City’s congestion pricing program launched on January 5, 2025, under a settlement between environmental groups represented by Earthjustice, New York State, and the MTA. The deal created a binding obligation to start the program by that date and ended an indefinite pause Governor Kathy Hochul had placed on it.15Earthjustice. New Challenge to Trump Administration Attempt to Terminate New York’s Congestion Pricing Program The tolling program generated $48.6 million in its first month.16Sierra Club. New Challenge to Trump Administration’s Attempt to Terminate New York’s Congestion Pricing
Weeks later, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Hochul a February 19, 2025 letter purporting to terminate the federal agreement authorizing the program. The MTA sued. On May 27, 2025, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman granted a preliminary injunction blocking the federal government from terminating the program or withholding highway and transit funding as leverage. On March 3, 2026, Judge Liman issued a 149-page opinion granting the MTA partial summary judgment, finding Duffy’s rescission “unlawful and unreasoned” and calling the government’s claim that the termination letter was not a final decision “revisionist history unsupported by the record.”17New Jersey Monitor. Judge Rules Trump Congestion Pricing Attempt Unlawful Separate challenges from New Jersey and the Trucking Association of New York remain pending.18The New York Times. NYC Congestion Pricing Ruling
Other Transportation Settlements Worth Knowing
Alaska Airlines Military Leave
A federal court in Washington state gave final approval to a $4.75 million settlement in Clarkson v. Alaska Airlines, resolving claims that the carrier failed to provide paid leave for military service. The class of 532 current and former pilots at Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Industries each receive gross payments of nearly $9,000, and the airline will provide four days of paid military leave per year going forward.19Bloomberg Law. Clarkson v. Alaska Airlines
NYC Transit Collections
A late-2023 settlement in Robinson v. New York City Transit Authority (Case No. 19-cv-01404, S.D.N.Y.) is still shaping how the agency pursues old transit violations. The case challenged seizing state tax refunds on default judgments, some from 20 or more years back, without proper notice. The NYCTA must now provide access to violation documents, cap copy fees at $1, publish criteria for vacating default judgments, and dismiss any violation where it cannot locate the underlying notice within 60 days of a request.20National Center for Law and Economic Justice. Court Grants Final Approval of Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Reining in NYC Transit Authority’s Unfair Collection Practices
Middletown Road Subway Accessibility
The April 2024 settlement in Bronx Independent Living Services v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Case No. 16-cv-5023, S.D.N.Y.) is in the monitoring phase. It requires the MTA to install elevators at both platforms of the Middletown Road station after a $21.85 million renovation left the stop inaccessible. The MTA awarded a design-build contract in December 2024, broke ground in October 2025, and expects completion by fall 2027.21Disability Rights Advocates. BILS v. MTA