Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., believes a rollback of costly regulations is on the way for small businesses, including small-business truckers.
Finstad has reason to be optimistic. His bill, the Prove It Act, recently passed the House, and President-elect Donald Trump is expected to advocate for a reduction in regulations over the next four years.
“It is encouraging to know that hope is on the horizon and that there is some sanity in our government and some certainty for our small businesses across this country,” Finstad said in a recent interview with Land Line Media. “I’m excited to see some momentum building here.”
Prove it Act
Finstad introduced the Prove It Act this past February. HR7198 would strengthen small businesses’ protections from “burdensome” regulations.
Specifically, the Prove It Act would:
- Create ways for small businesses to raise concerns when regulators don’t properly consider how the costs of the regulation will affect them
- Allow small businesses to ask for a review of the agency’s work and make the government prove it is compliant
- Stipulate that small businesses will be exempt from the regulation if the agency fails to comply with the review process
- Ensure that small businesses can easily access guidance documents and raise questions to their regulators
Earlier this month, the House passed the Prove It Act by a vote of 208-196. Although there likely is not enough time for the bill to pass the Senate and be signed into law before the end of the 118th Congress, the passage is a good sign for the bipartisan effort’s chances in 2025.
“I think what we see is this momentum carrying over to the 119th and having conversations with the Senate now having seen that we can pass it in the House,” Finstad said. “They will stand up and pay attention, and I think we have a good opportunity to move quickly on it in the 119th Congress.”
Speed limiters
The current administration made a push to require speed-limiting devices on commercial motor vehicles.
That rulemaking is expected to fade away under the Trump administration.
Finstad, a farmer with a CDL, is a co-sponsor of the DRIVE Act, which would stop FMCSA from being able to create a rule to mandate speed limiters.
“I try to run everything that comes across my desk through the farmer commonsense test,” Finstad said. “I’ve been on the road, and I’ve driven miles and miles. The last thing I want is the big nanny-state government inside my cab telling me that the truck is only going to go 55 mph – and, quite frankly, that becomes a safety issue in many cases … There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. And this is an example where it may sound good on paper and it might make people feel good that no truck is going over 55 mph, but we’re going to see some challenges and some big-time public safety risks if we’re not able to maneuver and handle our equipment in a way that is safe.”
Although the next administration is not expected to impose a speed limiter mandate, Republican control in the House, Senate and White House indicates that the next two years may be a good time to pass the DRIVE Act in order to prevent a final rule in future years.
“I think there’s going to be some strategy on how we play offense and defense on some of these issues,” Finstad said.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents small-business truckers, supports the Prove It Act and DRIVE Act. LL
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