This bill creates a national standard for when a company that hires a motor carrier to move goods is treated as having reasonably selected that carrier. A "covered entity" (such as many shippers, consignees, brokers, and freight forwarders) will be considered reasonable if, no earlier than 45 days before shipment and no later than the date of shipment, the entity verifies that the motor carrier: (1) is registered under 49 U.S.C. 13902; (2) has at least the minimum insurance required by Federal and State law; and (3) has been confirmed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to meet required FMCSA safety standards. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue final regulations within one year to revise how FMCSA determines motor carrier safety fitness and to include the verification and public confirmation steps in those rules. The bill also provides that the verification requirement in subsection (a)(1) ends when the new FMCSA regulation takes effect. Individual shippers are exempt from the verification requirements. The bill preserves State law relating to drayage and defines covered entities and covered motor carriers.
If you are a covered entity described in the bill, the bill tells you what checks make your carrier selection legally "reasonable": verifying registration, insurance, and FMCSA confirmation within the 45-day window before shipment. If you are an individual shipper, the bill says you are considered reasonable for hiring a covered motor carrier without doing those checks. FMCSA will publish a public confirmation about a carrier's status that covered entities can rely on.
No publicly available information on federal costs, budgetary effects, or specific compliance costs is included in the bill text provided.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.