§31135 — Title 49 Transportation | U.S. Code

Summary

Employers and employees must follow the Secretary of Transportation’s safety rules for commercial motor vehicles that apply to what they do. Two or more carriers, employers, or people cannot use shared ownership, shared management, shared control, or family ties to try to dodge or hide not following those rules or a history of not following them. If the Secretary finds repeated attempts to avoid or hide violations, the Secretary may withhold, suspend, change, or cancel registration under sections 13905 or 31134 and will consider the bad conduct when setting civil penalties under section 521(b)(2)(D). If an officer helped hide or dodge compliance while serving in that role, the Secretary may suspend, change, or cancel any registration issued to that officer under section 13902 or 31134. The Secretary must create rules to carry out the part about avoiding or hiding violations not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection. Definitions: motor carrier — see section 13102; officer — owners, directors, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, safety directors, vehicle maintenance supervisors, driver supervisors, or anyone who controls a carrier’s operations.

Title 49, §31135

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(a)Each employer and employee shall comply with regulations on commercial motor vehicle safety prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation under this subchapter that apply to the employer’s or employee’s conduct.

(b)(1)Two or more motor carriers, employers, or persons shall not use common ownership, common management, common control, or common familial relationship to enable any or all such motor carriers, employers, or persons to avoid compliance, or mask or otherwise conceal non-compliance, or a history of non-compliance, with regulations prescribed under this subchapter or an order of the Secretary issued under this subchapter.

(2)If the Secretary finds that a motor carrier, employer, or person engaged in a pattern or practice of avoiding compliance, or masking or otherwise concealing noncompliance, with regulations prescribed under this subchapter, the Secretary—

(A)may withhold, suspend, amend, or revoke any part of the motor carrier’s, employer’s, or person’s registration in accordance with section 13905 or 31134; and

(B)shall take into account such non-compliance for purposes of determining civil penalty amounts under section 521(b)(2)(D).

(3)If the Secretary finds, after notice and an opportunity for proceeding, that an officer of a motor carrier, employer, or owner or operator has engaged in a pattern or practice of, or assisted a motor carrier, employer, or owner or operator in avoiding compliance, or masking or otherwise concealing noncompliance, while serving as an officer or such motor carrier, employer, or owner or operator, the Secretary may suspend, amend, or revoke any part of a registration granted to the officer individually under section 13902 or 31134.

(c)Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall by regulation establish standards to implement subsection (b).

(d)In this section, the following definitions apply:

(1)The term “motor carrier” has the meaning such term has under section 13102.

(2)The term “officer” means an owner, director, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, safety director, vehicle maintenance supervisor, and driver supervisor of a motor carrier, regardless of the title attached to those functions, and any person, however designated, exercising controlling influence over the operations of a motor carrier.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 3113549 App.:2504.Oct. 30, 1984, Pub. L. 98–554, § 205, 98 Stat. 2834.

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of enactment of this subsection, referred to in subsec. (c), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 109–59, which was approved Aug. 10, 2005.

Amendments

2012—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–141 added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “If the Secretary finds that an officer of a motor carrier engages or has engaged in a pattern or practice of avoiding compliance, or masking or otherwise concealing noncompliance, with

Regulations

on commercial motor vehicle safety prescribed under this subchapter, while serving as an officer of any motor carrier, the Secretary may suspend, amend, or revoke any part of the motor carrier’s registration under section 13905.” 2005—Pub. L. 109–59 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading, and added subsecs. (b) to (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2012 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 112–141 effective Oct. 1, 2012, see section 3(a) of Pub. L. 112–141, set out as an Effective and Termination Dates of 2012 Amendment note under section 101 of Title 23, Highways.

§31135 Duties of employers and employees