DeFazio Proposes Limiting Detention Time

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) has introduced a bill that would require the Department of Transportation to study and establish a maximum number of hours that drivers may be detained at loading docks without being compensated.

DeFazio said the legislation introduced Thursday in the House of Representatives was proposed in response to concerns raised by independent truck drivers about the time and productivity they have lost waiting at loading docks.

The bill would require shippers and receivers to pay a fee for detention of drivers beyond the time established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and authorize civil penalties against shippers for failure to pay for unreasonable detention time.

“Over the years I’ve heard anecdotes from truck drivers that detention time is a big problem and contributes significantly to inefficiencies in the supply chain productivity,” DeFazio said in a statement.

“I asked [the Government Accountability Office] to study detention time and quantify the results,” he said. “It’s clear from the report that detaining truckers at loading docks is a significant problem that FMCSA needs to regulate.”