Many of the pro-trucker provisions in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s highway bill are simply about creating protections for the men and women who keep the nation’s supply chain moving.
Championed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the BUILD America 250 Act includes measures to provide truck drivers a safe place to park and sleep at night, a place to use the restroom when they are working and a ban on predatory lease-purchase arrangements.
The highway bill would also protect truck drivers from fraud and other scams.
HR8870, which next goes to the House floor for a vote, includes the bipartisan Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. The provision would give the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration some teeth in going after fraudsters by restoring the agency’s authority to impose civil penalties.
The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act was introduced in February as a standalone bill by Del. Eleanor Holmes, D-D.C., in the House and by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., in the Senate.
“Shipping fraud is among the most frequent complaints FMCSA receives,” Norton said. “This bill would provide FMCSA with explicit authority to assess civil penalties for violations of commercial regulations, and crucially, to withhold registration from applicants failing to provide verification details demonstrating they intend to operate legitimate businesses.”
The provisions would also specifically require brokers and freight forwarders to register a physical business address with FMCSA. Proponents say that allowing the agency to validate this business information from the start will “help prevent future fraud and abuse” in trucking.
OOIDA has actively supported the House Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act and its inclusion in the highway bill.
“It will pay dividends if we can get it across the finish line,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh said during a Senate committee hearing in 2025.
Although the measure has been included in the BUILD America 250 Act, the job isn’t complete. The highway bill still needs to pass the House and the Senate before it can be sent to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature.
OOIDA is asking truck drivers to visit its Fighting For Truckers website and send a message to their lawmakers in support of the BUILD America 250 Act and to protect truckers from freight fraud and other scams. LL
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