| 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 membership of |
| 5 | the workgroup; providing for administrative housing of the |
| 6 | workgroup; providing for a chair of the workgroup; |
| 7 | providing that members of the workgroup shall serve |
| 8 | without compensation and cannot be reimbursed for travel; |
| 9 | directing the workgroup to make a report to the Governor |
| 10 | and Legislature by a certain date; providing requirements |
| 11 | of the report; providing for termination of the workgroup; |
| 12 | providing an effective date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Small Trucker |
| 17 | Relief Act." |
| 18 | Section 2. As used in this act, the term "small trucking |
| 19 | firm" means a trucking enterprise that has fewer than 30 |
| 20 | employees or has fewer than 50 trucks in operation. |
| 21 | Section 3. Trucking regulation workgroup.- |
| 22 | (1) There is created the Trucking Regulation Workgroup. |
| 23 | (2) The workgroup shall consist of the following members, |
| 24 | whose appointments to the workgroup must be made within 30 days |
| 25 | after the effective date of this act: |
| 26 | (a) The secretary of the Department of Transportation, or |
| 27 | the secretary's designee. |
| 28 | (b) The executive director of the Department of Revenue, |
| 29 | or the executive director's designee. |
| 30 | (c) The secretary of the Department of Environmental |
| 31 | Protection, or the secretary's designee. |
| 32 | (d) The commissioner of the Florida Department of Law |
| 33 | Enforcement, or the commissioner's designee. |
| 34 | (e) The executive director of the Department of Highway |
| 35 | Safety and Motor Vehicles, or the executive director's designee. |
| 36 | (f) Three members, appointed by the Governor, who shall be |
| 37 | owners or employees of a small trucking firm as defined in |
| 38 | section 2. |
| 39 | (g) One member, appointed by the Governor, who is a member |
| 40 | of the Florida Trucking Association. |
| 41 | (3) The workgroup shall be administratively housed within |
| 42 | the Department of Transportation, and the chair of the workgroup |
| 43 | shall be the secretary of the Department of Transportation or |
| 44 | the secretary's designee. |
| 45 | (4) Members of the workgroup shall serve without |
| 46 | compensation and cannot be reimbursed for travel. |
| 47 | (5) On or before October 1, 2011, the workgroup shall |
| 48 | deliver to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the |
| 49 | Speaker of the House of Representatives a report concerning |
| 50 | rules and regulations affecting small trucking firms. The report |
| 51 | shall provide legislative recommendations related to: |
| 52 | (a) Penalties assessed for idling by trucks owned by small |
| 53 | trucking firms; |
| 54 | (b) Development of a corporate tax credit related to the |
| 55 | costs of idling by trucks owned by small trucking firms; |
| 56 | (c) Theft of cargo or equipment from trucks owned by small |
| 57 | trucking firms and criminal penalties imposed for such crimes; |
| 58 | (d) An exemption for small trucking firms from rules |
| 59 | imposed by the Department of Environmental Protection |
| 60 | restricting truck washing; |
| 61 | (e) Development of rules by the Department of |
| 62 | Transportation regarding the random inspection of trucks owned |
| 63 | by small trucking firms and prohibiting the use of any target |
| 64 | list to determine which trucks are inspected; and |
| 65 | (f) Improving access, through increased use of technology |
| 66 | or by any other means, to Department of Highway Safety and Motor |
| 67 | Vehicles' offices that provide registration and renewal services |
| 68 | under the International Registration Plan to motor carriers. |
| 69 | (6) The workgroup is abolished on November 1, 2011. |
| 70 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |