FMCSA Prepares Chassis Safety Rule Making Owners Responsible

he long-awaited intermodal chassis safety rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was undergoing the final stages of a review last week before being sent to the Office of Management and Budget, a spokesman for the agency said.

The rule is now expected out this summer. When it is finally published, observers expect it to model closely legislation passed last summer. As part of last year’s $286.5 billion transportation spending measure, Congress ordered FMCSA to craft a rule assigning maintenance responsibilities for intermodal chassis equipment to equipment providers.

The legislation called on FMCSA to “at a minimum . . . identify intermodal equipment providers responsible for inspection and maintenance for intermodal equipment.”