In The News
Fuel surcharge legislation alive in both chambers of Congress
Truckers hauling loads for the Department of Defense can soon rest assured that if a fuel surcharge is paid on the load, they’ll get the surcharge if they bought the fuel – thanks to legislation recently passed by Congress.
The Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, approved by the Senate on Saturday, Sept. 27, includes language that mandates the pass-through of any fuel surcharges collected on DOD loads to the person who bears the cost of the fuel. The bill had previously passed the House of Representatives and is now waiting for the president’s signature.
Although the Defense bill only addresses the pass-through of fuel surcharges on just DOD loads, the rest of the truckers out there on the road aren’t without hope.
A pair of bills that have been introduced in Congress seek mandatory pass-through of fuel surcharges on any load where a surcharge is collected. The bills seek to mandate pass-through of 100 percent of the surcharge to whoever actually pays for the fuel.
A bill introduced May 6 by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR, and co-sponsored by Rep. Thomas Petri, R-WI, and Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-IN, seeks to mandate 100 percent pass-through of fuel surcharges to whoever actually buys the fuel.
The bill, HR5977, “Truth in Reliable Understanding of Consumer Costs Act,†or the “TRUCC Act,†is identical to a bill introduced in the Senate – S2910 – in late April by Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-ME, and co-sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH.
“These bills will go a long way toward helping truckers and their shipping customers weather the brutal cost of fuel,†said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
The House version of the TRUCC Act is currently awaiting consideration by the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. The Senate bill is currently awaiting consideration in the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Truckers wanting to express their support of the TRUCC Act should call both of their senators and their representative. Those who don’t know who their lawmakers are can call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and provide their ZIP code to the operator to be connected to the appropriate office.