American Trucking Associations has asked the federal government to overturn an Alabama law requiring truck drivers who transport metal coils to obtain special certification to do so.
The requirements, which came about after the Alabama Metal Coil Securement Act was enacted in 2009, are incompatible with federal law and should be preempted, ATA wrote in a petition to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which the agency made public last week.
“ATA submits that there is little question that Alabama’s requirement … falls squarely within the scope of preemption …” the group wrote in a December 2010 petition.
The regulation requires drivers to obtain state certification that they are familiar with metal coil securement regulations.
Drivers can obtain this by taking an online training course and test or through a self-certification process, FMCSA said in a Federal Register notice.
Alabama originally required all drivers transporting metal coils, generally transported via flatbed trucks, in the state to carry evidence of their certification, but took away that requirement.
FMCSA is taking public comments on the petition until Jan. 23. Click here to view the FMCSA docket or to submit a comment. (U.S. government website.)
