BNSF To Pay Truck Drivers $75 Million For Collecting Fingerprints

BNSF To Pay Truck Drivers $75 Million For Collecting Fingerprints

Railroad giant BNSF has settled a class-action lawsuit for tens of millions of dollars, resolving accusations that they violated Illinois' privacy laws. The lawsuit, filed by a group of over 46,500 truck drivers, claimed BNSF collected their fingerprints without proper consent.

The initial jury verdict in October 2022 required BNSF to pay $228 million, equaling $5,000 per affected driver. However, this hefty amount was later overturned. The final settlement, reached on February 26th, involves BNSF paying a significantly reduced but still substantial sum of $75 million.

According to the lawsuit, BNSF implemented a system requiring truck drivers entering Chicago-area rail yards to submit their fingerprints for identification purposes. However, the lawsuit argued that BNSF failed to obtain written permission from the drivers before collecting and storing their biometric data.


Courtesy: CDL Life