TransComply, the manager of the Uniform Food Safety Transportation Protocol, has launched an online public listing of motor carriers that have complied with all the requirements for participation in the program.

The carriers are listed at www.ufstp.com/verify. The listed companies have committed to the standards expected for the new U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule on sanitary transportation of human and animal food. The UFSTP helps shippers, brokers, warehouses and others to find compliant businesses, said TransComply.

April 6 is the initial compliance date for the rule, which was mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act. As of March 20, more than 200 carriers have applied for participation in the UFSTP, with more interest as the April deadline approaches, according to TransComply.

To be confirmed as compliant, a carrier must satisfy the program’s requirements:

• Executing the UFSTP agreement, which commits the carrier to compliance in areas such as equipment management and temperature control; following shipper specifications; and training and record-keeping;

• Providing evidence of insurance - at least $750,000 BI/PD and at least $100,000 cargo - and making TransComply a certificate holder; and

• Maintaining active FMCSA authority

TransComply maintains the UFSTP agreement and certificates of insurance on file for each confirmed UFSTP carrier and monitors FMCSA authority and insurance coverage. Carriers that fail to meet the standards for ongoing participation are removed.

Shippers and brokers can use UFSTP participation as a vetting tool or to incorporate the UFSTP agreement’s terms into contracts and load confirmations by reference.

Small carriers-- those generating less than $27.5 million in revenue-- have an extra year to comply with the FDA rule. However, shippers that must comply by the earlier date are asking that all carriers, regardless of size, confirm their compliance with FDA standards, according to TransComply.

"Small carriers are beginning to realize that even if they don't have to comply with a federal regulation, they still must show they comply with the rule's requirements if they want to haul for some major shippers and brokers of perishable food," said Avery Vise, president of TransComply.

"The UFSTP lets compliant carriers of all sizes declare their use of best practices and remain competitive for spot-market loads of regulated freight," he added.

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