The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has reopened the public comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) related to property broker transparency.
The agency said the comment period for the NPRM is reopened for the period of Feb. 18 to March 20. FMCSA will also consider comments received between the original comment period end date of Jan. 21, and the reopening of the comment period, Feb. 18.
FMCSA received a request to reopen the comment period from the Small Business in Transportation Coalition. The agency said it found it is appropriate to reopen the comment period to provide interested parties additional time to submit responses to the NPRM.
Through the NPRM issued in November of 2024, FMCSA proposes revisions to 49 CFR § 371.3 in response to petitions from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the SBTC.
FMCSA said broker transparency is intended to enable efficient outcomes in the transportation industry by providing information necessary for the transacting parties to make informed business decisions. Broker transparency also supports the efficient resolution of disputes between parties, according to the FMCSA.
Though the current regulations are meant to provide broker transparency, the agency said it believes that broker transparency is rare in practice. By reinforcing the regulations, the agency said it believes that broker transparency, and its benefits, would become more common.
The contents of the full action, titled Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Transparency in Property Broker Transactions; Reopening of Comment Period, can be found in the Federal Register.
