Bill would make ship lines liable in truck mishaps. (Up Front).

The California Trucking Association is pushing a bill that would make ship lines and logistics companies liable for all accidents involving port container trucks that don't adhere to safety regulations.

The Intermodal Reform Act, being prepared by Assembly Majority Leader Marco Firebaugh, D-South Gate, targets operations that use truck companies or drivers that own uninsured and non-inspected trucks or use drivers who have not complied with federal mandatory random drug tests.

It's billed as a safety measure for motorists using freeways accessing West Coast ports. But its passage would also change the system in favor of legitimate trucking companies that are consistently undercut by operations charging lower rates because they don't spend as much money adhering to safety regulations.

"This is groundbreaking legislation," said Stephanie Williams, the CTA's vice president of legislative affairs. "This directly attacks the steamship lines or logistics companies who are creating an older, unsafe trucking fleet."

State and federal laws require truck owners to insure their vehicles, at a cost that is approximately $9,500 per truck annually.

Additionally, they must take part in the California Highway Patrol's BIT (Bi-annual Inspection of Terminals) program, which includes paying a fee to have the CLIP inspect a representative sample of trucks (or an owner-operator's single truck) and related equipment every 25 months. (Trucking companies pay $400 per terminal every other year while owner-operators pay $100.)

Drivers are also subject to random drug testing by their employer.

It is generally believed that many of the estimated 12,000 truck drivers or the companies that hire them ignore regulations because the violations are often not discovered until there is an accident.

The bill is expected to generate stiff opposition from shipping companies and third-party freight movers. Opponents are questioning why the measure pertains to port truckers and not the trucking industry as a whole.

"I think we will have a lot of problems with the legislation given the outline that's been (made public)," said John McLaurin, president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, a trade group for ocean carriers and terminal operators.

The California Trucking Association won key victories in the legislature last year, most notably the passage of a bill that fines terminal operators $250 for each truck forced to idle outside terminal gates for more than 30 minutes.

Although the law went into effect Jan. 1, most terminals are taking advantage of a six-month reprieve outlined in the legislation that allows them to avoid fines by extending their gate hours to 70 hours over a five-day period each week or devising a scheduling system so many drivers will arrive at the gates during non-peak hours.