Patrick and Barbara Kowalski Freight Brokers Safety Act

Key Points

• Freight brokers could face a civil penalty if they hire a trucking company with a recent pattern of safety violations.
• The penalty would equal 10% of the value of the cargo covered by the broker’s contract with that trucking company.
• A trucking company would count as “unsafe” if, in the past 5 years, it had 3 or more Transportation Department violations, or it employs a driver with 3 or more such violations.
• Money from these penalties would go into the Highway Trust Fund, and the Transportation Department could use it for safety-related road and infrastructure projects.
• After a fatal crash involving a broker’s contracted carrier, federal truck-safety officials could investigate the broker and may impose extra operating requirements if the broker showed an extreme disregard for safety.