Trucking news and briefs for December 23, 2019:
Lawsuit challenges construction-trucking provision of California A.B. 5 contractor law
California’s Assembly Bill 5 independent contractor law, which mandated the ABC test as the go-to determining factor in determining a valid contractor relationship, preserved a more expansive contractor test for construction-industry contractors. Yet it did not apply that to construction-trucking service providers. Rather, according to a new lawsuit filed last week in federal court by the Western States Trucking Association (WSTA), the construction trucking-specific provisions, essentially mandate that in the cases of construction-trucking companies providing haulage services for one or multiple contractors/subcontractors, all workers, including drivers, for those trucking companies are employees rather than independent contractors.
Such a mandate, WSTA says, is “clearly preempted by federal law, which prohibits states from enacting or enforcing any law or regulation related to the price, route, or service of a motor carrier.”
New parts lookup site in public beta form
Diesel Laptops has launched the free Truck Parts Lookup online software program via TruckPartsLookup.com. It allows users to identify the heavy-duty parts they need easily without needing a VIN or engine serial number. The company is currently hosting the platform as an “open beta,” meaning it’s free to create an account and use the platform.
During this initial period, Diesel Laptops asks users to take a brief survey about the software to help it improve, add features, and address any issues.
Nate Knorr, Truck Parts Lookup product manager notes that “finding parts without an engine serial number or a VIN is almost impossible. You’re stuck using internet searches, expensive software, or browsing hundreds of vendor-specific websites. This product makes it easy to identify the part and find a cost-effective cross-reference all in one place.”
