U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) on Jan. 30 sponsored a bipartisan, bicameral bill to fight freight fraud, particularly in the household goods sector — a growing problem that she said continues to undermine the integrity of the nation’s shipping and logistics industry.
“We cannot allow bad actors in the shipping and moving industry to violate consumer trust and harm our nation’s supply chain,” said Sen. Fischer, a member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
The lawmaker sponsored the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, S. 337, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to restore the ability of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to impose civil penalties against unauthorized brokers and other fraudulent entities, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“Our bipartisan, bicameral legislation will give the [FMCSA] the tools they need to hold these thieves accountable,” Sen. Fischer said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to get our bill signed into law.”
Specifically, S. 337 would mandate that companies operating in the household goods sector must maintain a legitimate principal place of business and they cannot use post office boxes or non-physical addresses.
The FMCSA also would be directed to analyze trends and commonalities among companies that apply for shipping authority in an effort to identify potentially fraudulent operations, and would allow states to use federal funds to enforce consumer protection laws related to household goods transportations, the summary says.
“Bad actors are constantly developing new ways to defraud hard-working Americans, so it’s critical we keep our legislation up to speed so we can protect our constituents from the latest scamming techniques,” said Sen. Duckworth. “I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan legislation alongside Sen. Fischer to help ensure FMCSA has the tools it needs to shield American consumers from these thieves.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Transportation Intermediaries Association, and the American Trucking Associations endorsed the measure.
U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) and U.S. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) on Jan. 31 introduced the identical H.R. 880 in the U.S. House.