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Law Alert: FMCSA Announces Guidance on Definition of “Broker” and “Bona Fide Agent” as well as on Role of Dispatch Services
FMCSA will issue guidance regarding the definition of what constitutes a “broker” and a “bona fide agent” of a broker. The guidance is not a rulemaking and will be effective immediately. However, FMCSA has nevertheless requested comment on the guidance and may issue updated guidance based on comments received. The comment period will be open for 60 days. The guidance is issued pursuant to a mandate of the IIJA, which directed FMCSA to consider the role of so-called “dispatch services” in transportation and whether such services can be considered a “bona fide agent” of a motor carrier. The question of whether a dispatch service can be a bona fide agent of a motor carrier is important because bona fide agents of motor carriers are not required to hold broker authority when acting in the capacity of an agent of the motor carrier.
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Law Alert: USDOL Releases Proposed Rule On Worker Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
The U.S. Department of Labor released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with respect to Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The proposal is expected to be published in the Federal Register on October 13, and the Department will accept comments for 45 days thereafter. As anticipated, the NPRM once again proposes to repeal the Department’s prior regulation on the same subject issued under the Trump administration (an earlier attempt at repeal was held improper by a federal district court) and replace it with a regulation it claims is more aligned with judicial precedent. Read more on this from Scopelitis.
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Law Alert: AB 5 Injunction Dissolved in CTA v. Bonta
Judge Benitez of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California held a hearing in the California Trucking Association’s (CTA) challenge to enforcement of AB 5 against the trucking industry.
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Law Alert: Supreme Court Denies Certiorari in CTA v. Bonta
The Supreme Court denied review of the 9th Circuit’s reversal of the injunction against enforcement of California’s AB 5 against the trucking industry.
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Law Alert: CTA v. Bonta -- Still Awaiting Supreme Court Decision on Whether to Hear AB 5 Challenge
Although three federal preemption of state law regulating prices, routes, or services cases involving transportation were distributed for the Court’s June 23 conference, no decision on whether to hear California Trucking Association v. Bonta (the trucking industry challenge to California’s AB 5’s restrictive employment test) or Virgin America v. Bernstein (an airlines looking at a similar preemption statute) was issued today.
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Law Alert: AB 5 Challenge Distributed for Consideration by Supreme Court at June 23 Conference
The California Trucking Association’s (CTA) challenge to enforcement of AB 5 against the trucking industry was distributed today for consideration by the Supreme Court at its conference scheduled for June 23.
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Law Alert: Supreme Court Addresses “Transportation Worker” Exemption From the Federal Arbitration Act
In a unanimous decision (8-0, with Justice Barrett recused) today, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified who qualifies as a “transportation worker” for purposes of the exemption from the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA).
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Law Alert: Federal court holds that Washington wage and hour laws do not apply to Washington resident over-the-road truck driver.
A former employee over-the-road truck driver for a national motor carrier sued in Washington federal court seeking to represent a class of Washington-resident drivers to recover damages under Washington law for unpaid minimum wage, overtime, rest breaks, and derivative claims. Washington is one of a few states that does not exempt interstate over-the-road truck drivers from state overtime laws.
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Law Alert: Solicitor General Recommends the Supreme Court Deny Review of Trucking Case Challenging California’s AB-5
The Solicitor General (SG) of the United States (the federal government’s representative before the Supreme Court) filed a brief recommending the Supreme Court deny review of California Trucking Association’s (CTA) case challenging the application of AB 5.
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Law Alert: New Federal Arbitration Law - Impact on Transportation Providers
Congress passed H.R. 4445, the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021.” The primary provisions of the new law appear to fall outside of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). However, the law does amend certain parts of the FAA to ensure that the new provisions concerning sexual assault and harassment claims apply “notwithstanding” anything to the contrary found in the FAA. Our arbitration team shares key takeaways for transportation providers.
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Law Alert: Supreme Court Stays OSHA’s Vaccine/Testing Mandate
The Supreme Court ordered a stay of OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The Court held that Congress had not given OSHA authority to issue such a sweeping regulation addressing a public health concern that was not an occupation-specific risk.
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Law Alert: Illinois Appellate Court Issues BIPA Ruling that May Drastically Increase Exposure for Transportation Companies Operating in Illinois
This week, an Illinois Appellate Court issued a ruling with the potential to dramatically increase liability under Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which could lead to many more class action lawsuits against transportation companies operating in Illinois.
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Law Alert: IRS Guidance on 100% Deduction for Meal Portion of Per Diem Reimbursement
New guidance from the IRS makes clear that motor carriers with drivers subject to hours of service requirements can temporarily deduct the meal portion of per diem expense reimbursements at 100% instead of 80%.
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Law Alert: OSHA Vaccine Mandate Developments
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation held a lottery which determined that the multiple challenges to OSHA's ETS on COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing would be consolidated and heard in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
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Law Alert: Supreme Court Asks for Solicitor General to Weigh In On AB 5 Preemption Challenge
The Supreme Court invited the Solicitor General to file a brief expressing the federal government’s views on whether the Supreme Court should hear California Trucking Association’s suit claiming federal law preempts California’s AB 5, which imposes a restrictive ABC test to determine worker classification.
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Law Alert: OSHA ETS on Vaccines and Testing Temporarily Stayed
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a temporary stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Vaccines and Testing, which applies to employers with more than 100 employees.
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Law Alert: OSHA Issues Emergency Regulations Requiring Vaccination or Weekly Testing
President Biden announced an action plan which called for OSHA to draft and issue ETS designed to reduce Covid-19 infection numbers. Specifically, the President has called for private employers with at least 100 employees to ensure either that (1) all employees are vaccinated; or (2) all employees are tested at least weekly.
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Law Alert: New Per Diem Rates
The IRS released Notice 2021-52 announcing the new Special Per Diem Rates for 2021-2022. Read more about rate increases, when the new rates take effect, and how to access the notice.
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Law Alert: Ninth Circuit Grants Stay; Injunction Against Enforcement of AB-5 Against Motor Carriers Remains in Place
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted California Trucking Association’s request for a stay of the mandate in order to allow CTA to petition the Supreme Court for review of the Ninth Circuit’s holding in CTA v. Bonta that the restrictive ABC test in AB-5 is not preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994.
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Law Alert: Ninth Circuit Denies Rehearing in CTA Case
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has denied the California Trucking Association’s (CTA) request for an en banc review of the Ninth Circuit’s April 28 decision that found the CTA was unlikely to succeed on its claim that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (F4A) preempts AB-5, the California legislature’s imposition of a restrictive ABC test.