10 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch recommendations from the Household Goods Consumer Protection Working Group (The Working Group) contained in the Recommendations to the U.S. Department of Transportation to Improve Household Goods Consumer Education, Simplify and Reduce Paperwork, and Condense FMCSA Publication ESA 03005 (Recommendations Report). FMCSA incorporates certain recommendations from the Working Group’s Recommendations Report into the regulations at 49 CFR part 375, and makes additional minor changes to the regulations in 49 CFR parts 371 and 375. These changes will streamline documentation requirements, and increase efficiency for the transportation of household goods by interstate household goods motor carriers, improve consumer education, provide protection for individual shippers, and combat fraud. The Working Group was established and provided recommendations pursuant to section 5503 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), Public Law 114-94, 129 Stat. 1312, 1551 (Dec. 4, 2015).4 OK, So is Your Head Spinning Yet? Change is the constant in life, and sometimes it occurs fast enough to make one feel as if they are drinking from a firehose. Add DEQ and OSHA changes, and the speed and volume of all of this change is mind boggling. We know for certain that change is inevitable. However, progress is not! How is an individual motor carrier supposed to keep up on all of this flurry of change? Everyone in America knows that “ignorance of the law is no excuse.” It is drummed into students from their first civics class in elementary school, so much so that it is a part of our cultural heritage. This is perhaps an elegant argument for voluntary participation in the Oregon Trucking Association. Why go it alone? Unless any given motor carrier has a staff up to the task to stay constantly informed of the myriad ongoing regulatory changes constantly transpiring, it simply makes sense to take advantage of the OTA summations of what is transpiring. OTA provides Carrier Education classes to help motor carriers get their new employees quickly up to speed and also offers a catalog of training opportunities designed to keep mid-career and seasoned motor carrier employees up to date on a variety of subjects. Change is a constant. Staying abreast of change can be a challenge. But imbedded within the challenges presented by ongoing regulatory change is also an opportunity. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “No great man ever complains of want of opportunity.” And in this instance, I’d observe that no one can fairly say that the motor carrier industry does not have before it an excellent opportunity to impact the changes which come its way in the regulatory arena. These opportunities have to be seized when they present themselves. How are you supposed to know about currently transpiring or soon to commence FMCSA rulemakings? Point your web browser to this URL: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ regulations/federal-register-documents. Here you will find a page titled Notices and Rulemaking Documents. The FMCSA rules and notices listed here are linked to the Federal Register website. The Federal Register is the Federal Government’s official daily publication of rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies, and provides a forum for public participation in the democratic process. You may filter between Rules and Notices using the Document Type dropdown. The Topic dropdown will provide you with rules associated with that topic while the Subject dropdown will provide you Notices and Rules that mention that subject. The Federal Register provides rules and notices dating back to 1995. This also provides a second eloquent reason to become a member of the Oregon Trucking Association. This reason is summed up in a single word: Advocacy. OTA participates in the policy making arena on the local, statewide, and national levels. Your membership and participation amplifies the voice of OTA and increases its influence among policy makers. The power of OTA membership is another opportunity set forth before you. The value of our association resides in the collective strength of our individual members. Change, challenge, and opportunity. References 1. https://www.fleetowner.com/news/ article/21668866/regulatory-change-poses-biggestchallenge-for-carriers. 2. https://www.jjkellerlibrary.com/news-article/ changes-are-coming-in-2022-maybe. 3. https://www.jjkellerlibrary.com/news-article/nomore-certification-of-violation-or-annual-confessionof-sins. 4. https://www.federalregister.gov/ documents/2022/04/26/2022-08808/ implementation-of-household-goods-working-grouprecommendations. Regulatory Compliance, cont.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTY1NDIzOQ==