House Appropriators Restrict FMCSA

4/29/2015 10 Considerations in Choosing a Freight Audit and Payment Provider


A House Appropriations bill would bar FMCSA from enforcing 34-hour restart, changing carrier insurance requirements, amend truck weights and lengths in certain states. The House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee released the text of its fiscal year 2016 bill funding the Department of Transportation and Housing. The Subcommittee plans to markup the bill this morning.

The bill includes the following relevant policy language:

  • Bars the Agency from using any of the funds appropriated to the DOT to enforce the 34-hour restart provision until the final report is issued and has met certain requirements, which show that the 34-hour restart rule has a positive impact on safety.
  • Bars the Agency from using any of the funds appropriated to the DOT to develop, issue, or implement any regulation that increases levels of minimum financial responsibility for transporting passengers or property.
  • Amends the limits for truck weights and lengths for certain States. (Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming, Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, and Kansas.

After the bill is considered at the subcommittee level, it has to be considered by the full committee and then the full U.S. House of Representatives, and finally the United States Senate. This will not be a quick process, giving opponents of these policy provisions plenty of time to lobby against.