FMCSA Schedules Listening Session on Broker Transparency

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has scheduled a virtual listening session to get input on freight broker transparency.

The session will be held on Wed., Oct. 28, 1-2:30 p.m. eastern time.

FMCSA would like to hear from members of the public on their views on the regulation of property carrier brokers in general, and on three pending petitions concerning specific property carrier broker regulation issues.

After receiving petitions from owner-operator groups to amend certain requirements for property carrier brokers, FMCSA published a notice in the Federal Register on Aug. 19 requesting public comment on the petitions.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association requested that FMCSA require property carrier brokers to provide an electronic copy of each transaction record automatically within 48 hours after the contractual service has been completed, and explicitly prohibit brokers from including any provision in their contracts that requires a motor carrier to waive its rights to access the transaction records.

The Small Business in Transportation Coalition requests that FMCSA prohibit brokers from coercing or otherwise requiring parties to brokers’ transactions to waive their right to review the record of the transaction as a condition for doing business. SBTC also wants FMCSA to ban  broker contracts from including a stipulation or clause exempting the broker from having to comply with the transparency requirement.

This meeting does not pertain to broker or freight forwarder minimum financial responsibility matters. The session will be held via videoconference and will be accessible to the public for its entirety.

The session will be held via videoconference only, with registration required at www.fmcsa.dot.gov in advance of the meeting. FMCSA encourages early registration.

The virtual session will allow members of the public to make brief statements to the panel. If all interested participants have had an opportunity to comment, the session may conclude early.