Trailer Side Underride Guards May be One Step Closer to Reality
The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently sent a proposed rule to the Whitehouse Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to consider requirements for side underride guards on trailers and semitrailers. Obviously the potential benefit being the reduction of crashes involving a vehicle going beneath a trailer, which can be catastrophic. This topic may sound familiar as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) called for additional research to understand various aspects of side underride guards such as effectiveness, costs and feasibility.
The proposal is currently in the pre-rule stage which essentially is an information gathering stage before the development of a proposed rule. In the pre-rule stage agencies will determine if and/or how to initiate rulemaking. The submission by the DOT is simply a step in the process of what was called for in the IIJA.
This is not the first time that side underride guards have been on the governments radar. Prior attempts to require the guards have proved unsuccessful. Much of the opposition has been due to an expected rise in costs for little, if any, economic benefit for carriers. It is expected that the rule will hit the Federal Register in late February and then the public can submit comments.
Nathan is a CPA and has more than ten years of experience providing tax planning, consulting and compliance services to a number of privately held businesses and individuals in a variety of industries, with a special focus on the transportation and logistics industry. He actively communicates with clients and seeks ways to align their individual and business goals with available tax strategies to allow them to make well-informed decisions.
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