Transportation

Our transportation lawyers are known for the depth of our experience in a broad range of complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters pertaining to rail, motor, and air carriage. We have participated in major rail rate cases, competition and commercial disputes, rule-making proceedings, preemption proceedings, regulation of global distribution systems, intercity and commuter passenger rail investigations and disputes, rail and motor carrier passenger matters, class action antitrust litigation, test flights of unmanned aircraft, and various other cases of industry-wide significance.

When our clients' matters raise potential conflicts between state and federal regulation, which is not uncommon in transportation issues, our team is well-versed on all facets of preemption. We have secured numerous successes for our clients based on federal preemption and successfully advised on appeals from adverse federal preemption rulings.

Steptoe represents a variety of transportation companies, trade associations, and other entities in public policy related and regulatory issues before Congress, the Executive Branch, including the Department of Transportation (DOT) and its constituent agencies, and independent agencies including the Surface Transportation Board (STB). We are recognized as a leading firm in virtually every major area of rail regulatory activity, and our experience in high-profile cases has given us a thorough understanding of the complex and evolving issues in rail transportation law. In our motor carrier practice, we represent users of motor carrier services and operators of private motor carrier fleets in contract, commercial, regulatory, and congressional matters. Our aviation practice focuses on representing foreign and US air carriers, travel distribution intermediaries, unmanned aircraft operators and other aviation interests in regulatory settings and commercial transactions.

National Transportation Safety Board

Steptoe routinely represents transportation clients in high-profile National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations in all modes of transportation, including aviation, railroad, pipeline, maritime, highway, and Hazmat. Our attorneys have many decades of experience in transportation law and have successfully counseled clients through more than forty major NTSB investigations. 

We believe the key to successfully managing NTSB investigations is understanding the complexity of a major investigation and the significant effects it can have on other matters that are important to a transportation company— such as public relations, litigation concerns, regulatory concerns, congressional relations, employee relations, and, most importantly, continuing to operate the company after an accident. There is precious little time for a company to learn the NTSB process after an accident, so it is important that NTSB counsel be in a position to provide expert guidance in all of these areas. Steptoe understands the intersection of these interests and how best to navigate the challenges they present. 

Steptoe’s renowned transportation group also brings expertise in broader areas of transportation law, many of which are adjacent to its NTSB practice. Deep knowledge of the aviation, rail, and pipeline industries, for example, make Steptoe’s transportation team uniquely positioned to assist with NTSB and other accident response work. We make it a priority to collaborate closely with clients from pre-accident preparation to the aftermath of an accident itself in order to alleviate common problems in this challenging environment.