Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020:
Comment period opens on brokers’ request to rescind transparency regs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is accepting comments through Jan. 25, 2021, on a request from freight brokers asking the agency to rescind certain regulations pertaining to brokered transaction transparency.
In its petition, the Transportation Intermediaries Association requests that FMCSA rescind 49 CFR 371.3(c) concerning the rights of parties to a brokered transaction to review the records of the transaction.
TIA argues that the regulation, established in 1980, doesn’t apply in today’s marketplace. The group adds that the spot market is “one of the most transparent marketplaces in the world,” noting that load boards, the internet and rate quotes in person-to-person communications within the industry “provide the rate transparency that was intended by 49 CFR 371.3 when commissions paid by carriers to brokers were common.”
The group also asks FMCSA for regulatory guidance regarding “dispatch services,” which TIA says it believes are essentially unlicensed brokers. TIA believes FMCSA should publish regulatory guidance explaining that the legal duties of a dispatch service allow them to be an agent for one motor carrier, and that anything further requires a brokerage license and compliance with the financial responsibility requirements applicable to brokers.
FMCSA is asking commenters to provide responses to seven questions, which can be found here. Comments on TIA’s request can be made here through Jan. 25.
Trucker busted with $25M of alleged liquid meth at U.S./Mexico border
Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Pharr International Bridge in Pharr, Texas, intercepted a tractor-trailer with alleged liquid methamphetamine worth $25 million.
On Nov. 18, a CBP officer at the facility referred a tractor-trailer arriving from Mexico with a commercial shipment of corn husks for further inspection.
Officers conducting the secondary exam, with the help of a canine team, found the alleged liquid meth concealed within the tractor’s fuel tanks.
The extraction process yielded 1,255 pounds of the liquid, which was stored in 26 plastic buckets.
“This was a great team effort that resulted in this discovery of hard narcotics in our cargo facility,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. “Although an apparent daunting task, our frontline officers continue with their perseverance and commitment towards keeping dangerous drugs from crossing our borders.”
Love’s expands contactless payment options
Love’s Travel Stops has expanded its contactless payment options for transactions both inside and outside the company’s locations across the country to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread while also adding more convenience for customers.
The expansion includes tap-and-go credit cards, mobile phone payment options and Mobile Pay from the Love’s Connect app.
For fueling, truckers can use Love’s Mobile Pay on the Love’s Connect app to answer prompts, pay for fuel and receive contactless, digital receipts using cell phones.