TRAA Joins Coalition to Halt Four Bills with “Burdensome” Unfunded Mandates
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A coalition of 31 trucking and trade groups is urging Congress to halt four bills it claims would cost the industry billions of dollars in “burdensome” unfunded mandates.
The coalition sent a letter on Sept. 16 to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chairman, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), chairman, and Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, ranking member, of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
The four bills are:
- The Stop Underrides Act (H.R. 1511/S. 665): which would require the installation of front, side and rear underride guards on all trailers with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) that exceeds 10,000 lbs. and all single-unit trucks with a GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs. and a carriage that is more than 22 inches above the ground.
- The Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act of 2019 (S. 2033): which would mandate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) over 26,000 lbs. to be equipped with speed limiters set to 65 mph.
- The Safe Roads Act (H.R. 3773): which would require new CMVs to be equipped with and utilize an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system.
- The INSURANCE Act (H.R. 3781): which would increase the minimum liability coverage for motor carriers from $750,000 to over $4.9 million. This increase would apply to all businesses transporting property, not just long-haul trucking operations.
Source: Towing and Recovery Association of America (TRAA)