Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Jan. 20, 2023:
Under current federal law, picking up freight from a port is considered interstate transportation, even if the freight stays within the state where the port is located. This, of course, means 18- to 21-year-old truck drivers cannot pick up freight from ports, even though they are allowed to operate in intrastate commerce in most states.
A new bill introduced in the U.S. House by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida) would change that federal law so that freight moved from a port to another location within the same state is considered intrastate commerce rather than interstate.
Dubbed the Ceasing Age-Based (CAB) Trucking Restrictions Act, Mast said the bill would eliminate “logistical hurdles in order to maximize the labor force in the United States and address a contributing factor of the supply chain crisis.”
The text of the bill states that “the transportation of goods from a port of entry and another place within the same state as part of trade, traffic, or transportation originating outside such state or the United States by commercial motor vehicle shall not be considered interstate transportation for purposes of requirements relating to commercial driver’s licenses.”
The bill was introduced in the House on Jan. 10 and currently has 19 Republican co-sponsors. It has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where it would need to be passed before moving to the full House floor.
[Related: Most owner-ops opposed to allowing under-21 CDL drivers an interstate option]
