Florida Senate - 2011                             CS for SB 1912
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Transportation; and Senator Evers
       
       
       
       
       596-03864-11                                          20111912c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to trucking; providing a short title;
    3         defining the term “small trucking firm”; creating the
    4         Trucking Regulation Workgroup; providing for
    5         membership of the workgroup; directing the workgroup
    6         to make a report to the Governor, the Speaker of the
    7         House of Representatives, and the President of the
    8         Senate by a certain date; providing requirements of
    9         the report; providing for termination of the
   10         workgroup; providing an effective date.
   11  
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Small Trucker
   15  Relief Act.”
   16         Section 2. As used in this act, the term “small trucking
   17  firm” means a trucking enterprise that has fewer than 30
   18  employees or has fewer than 50 trucks in operation.
   19         Section 3. Trucking Regulation Workgroup.—
   20         (1) There is created the Trucking Regulation Workgroup.
   21         (2) The workgroup shall consist of the following members,
   22  whose appointments to the workgroup must be made within 30 days
   23  after the effective date of this act:
   24         (a) The Secretary of Transportation, or the secretary’s
   25  designee.
   26         (b) The executive director of the Department of Revenue, or
   27  the executive director’s designee.
   28         (c) The Secretary of Environmental Protection, or the
   29  secretary’s designee.
   30         (d) The executive director of the Department of Law
   31  Enforcement, or the executive director’s designee.
   32         (e) The executive director of the Department of Highway
   33  Safety and Motor Vehicles, or the executive director’s designee.
   34         (f) Three members, appointed by the Governor, who shall be
   35  owners or employees of a small trucking firm as defined in
   36  section 2.
   37         (g) One member, appointed by the Governor, who is a member
   38  of the Florida Trucking Association.
   39         (3) On or before October 1, 2011, the workgroup shall
   40  deliver to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of
   41  Representatives, and the President of the Senate a report
   42  concerning rules and regulations affecting small trucking firms.
   43  The report shall provide legislative recommendations related to:
   44         (a) Penalties assessed for idling by trucks owned by small
   45  trucking firms;
   46         (b) Development of a corporate tax credit related to the
   47  costs of idling by trucks owned by small trucking firms;
   48         (c) Theft of cargo or equipment from trucks owned by small
   49  trucking firms, and criminal penalties imposed for such crimes;
   50         (d) Exemption from rules imposed by the Department of
   51  Environmental Protection restricting truck washing for small
   52  trucking firms;
   53         (e) Development of rules to be adopted by the Department of
   54  Transportation regarding random inspection of trucks owned by
   55  small trucking firms and prohibiting the use of any “target
   56  list” to determine which trucks are inspected; and
   57         (f) Improving access to Department of Highway Safety and
   58  Motor Vehicles’ offices that provide International Registration
   59  Plan registration and renewal services to motor carriers,
   60  whether through increased use of technology or by any other
   61  means.
   62         (4) The workgroup is abolished on November 1, 2011.
   63         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.