The feds have moved to lower the regulatory boom on brokers who scam consumers.

Today, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a notice of proposed rulemaking requesting comments on the new rules. The agency said its action is in response to a petition from the American Moving and Storage Assn. In its published notice, the FMCSA said the “action is necessary to help determine whether the general property broker regulations have failed to adequately protect consumers during HHG transportation.”
According to the notice in today’s Federal Register:
The FMCSA has received complaints that a segment of the industry may be engaging in unscrupulous business practices which defraud motor carriers as well as consumers. News media have reported that many consumers now use the Internet to seek the best possible prices for all of their consumer purchases, including transportation of HHG.
Many of the complaints the agency receives involve HHG brokers who mislead consumers with lures of inexpensive transportation charges. In a typical case, the HHG broker enters into a contract with the consumer, takes a sizeable deposit, and arranges to have a motor carrier handle the shipment. When the shipper's goods are in the
possession of the carrier, the carrier then demands additional freight charges. The complaints we receive show when problems between the consumer and motor carrier arise, the HHG broker disavows any responsibility for the motor carrier's actions, despite the HHG broker's role in acquiring the carrier's services on behalf of the shipper.
According to the FMCSA comments must be submitted before Feb. 22, 2005.
For more information, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov.