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Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Contact: Andy Beck, 202-366-8810
FMCSA 20-03
FMCSA Delays Compliance Date of Rule Governing Movement of Household Goods
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced that it is delaying
the compliance date for its interim final rule governing interstate
transportation of household goods by movers and brokers. A new compliance date
will be announced in the Federal Register before the next peak moving season
beginning on May 15, 2004.
Two organizations filed reconsideration petitions concerning substantive and
technical issues in the rule and the FMCSA wants to have ample time to consider
their concerns.
“We will ensure that the new compliance date will afford the greatest possible
protection to consumers while providing the household goods transportation
industry with the lead time necessary to revise their operational procedures,”
FMCSA Administrator Annette M. Sandberg said.
On Aug. 25, the FMCSA received reconsideration petitions from the American
Moving and Storage Association (AMSA), Alexandria, VA; United Van Lines, LLC,
Fenton, MO; and Mayflower Transit, LLC, also Fenton.
The interim final rule requires that interstate household goods carriers provide
written estimates, have an arbitration program for individual shippers, deliver
goods on agreed-upon dates, publish truthful advertisements containing their
name and DOT number, and weigh shipments of customers given non-binding cost
estimates. It is titled “Transportation of Household Goods; Consumer Protection
Regulations.”
The rule appeared in the Federal Register on June 11, 2003, and was effective
Sept. 9, 2003. The compliance date was to have been March 1, 2004. It is on
the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov/, docket number FMCSA-97-2979. The notice of
compliance date for this rule will be in today’s Federal Register.
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