House Bill Would Require Brokers to Verify Safety Status of Trucking
A bill that was recommended by the House Transportation Committee in May is now ready for a vote by the full House, if leadership chooses to do so, as the committee's report was completed this week.
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The bipartisan bill, called the Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act, also has a Senate companion. The likelihood of either bill getting a vote before the end of this Congress is slim.
The bill would require that any shipper or consignee of goods (unless it's an individual shipper), any broker, freight forwarder, customs broker, ocean transportation intermediary or indirect air carrier must verify that the trucking firm being hired to move the goods "is registered under section 13902 of title 49, United States Code, as a motor carrier or household goods motor carrier; has at least the minimum insurance coverage required by Federal and State law; and is not determined unfit to operate safely commercial motor vehicles under section 31144 of title 49, United States Code, or otherwise ordered to discontinue operations by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (including not renewing a Department of Transportation registration number) or a State, for intrastate commerce."