Alex Karcher helps transportation companies stay compliant, mitigate risk, and navigate complex legal challenges that come with operating in a highly regulated industry.

With a practice that spans regulatory compliance, transportation litigation, and corporate strategy, Alex is a trusted advisor to trucking companies, freight brokers, shippers, manufacturers, and warehousers alike. He routinely represents clients before the Department of Transportation and state equivalents, assists with safety audits and corrective action plans, and provides ongoing support for DOT compliance programs, safety training, and licensing. In merger and acquisition transactions, Alex often serves as DOT special counsel, providing critical due diligence for deals ranging from local acquisitions to $900 million national transactions.

Clients across the country rely on Alex for fleet and brokerage license administration, including vehicle titling and registration, IFTA/IRP management, intrastate and interstate operating authority, and heavy vehicle tax filings. He currently oversees transportation compliance and licensing services for more than 275 companies.

Alex also has extensive litigation experience. His work includes defending motor carriers in Truth in Leasing Act class actions, towing disputes, prosecuting Carmack Amendment and MAP-21 claims, and litigating breach of contract and non-compete matters. His strategic, client-centered approach has led to favorable verdicts and settlements across a wide range of cases, including multimillion-dollar disputes.
He is an active leader in the transportation legal community and a frequent speaker on industry trends, regulatory updates, and emerging risks.

Education

The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Carthage College, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Distinctions

• Distinguished Service Award, The Transportation Lawyers Association (2025)
• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Transportation Law (2024–2025)
• Columbus CEO Top Lawyer in Transportation Law (2022–2024)
• Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Star (2024–2025)
• Graduate, Ohio Trucking Association Emerge OTA Leadership Program (2020–2021)

Professional Activities

• Member & Immediate Past Chair, Safety Council, Ohio Trucking Association
• Member, Board of Trustees, Ohio Trucking Association
• Co-Chair, New and Young Lawyers Committee, Transportation Lawyers Association
• Member at Large, Executive Committee, Transportation Lawyers Association
• Member, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, Transportation Lawyers Association
• Member, Conference of Freight Counsel
• Member, Toledo Bar Association

News

Additional Items

• “The Do’s and Don’ts of a Driver Safety Manual” – Cottingham & Butler (2025)
• “Winning Trial Tactics to Combat Nuclear Verdicts” – Toledo Trucking Association (2024)
• “Social Inflation, Nuclear Verdicts, and Nuclear Options” – Transportation Lawyers Association (2024)
• “Fleet Safety Policies and Procedures” – Ohio Trucking Safety Council (2023)
• “Piercing the Corporate Veil: ‘I’m Gonna Wreck It!’” – Transportation Lawyers Association (2023)
• “Make Way for Ducklings: Enhancing DEI in the Workplace” – Transportation Lawyers Association (2022)

When not practicing law, Alex is usually as far from a desk as possible—sailing open waters, trekking through backcountry trails around the world (most recently in Southern Patagonia, Chile), or exploring new destinations.

At home in Merion Village, Alex is often knee-deep in a renovation project, power tools in hand, pondering how many lawyers it takes to rebuild a retaining wall. Guided by John Wesley’s call to “do all the good you can, for as many people as you can, for as long as you can,” Alex strives to live out that philosophy—whether drafting contracts or digging up flower beds at the community garden.