The Press-Telegram is reporting that the U.S. Department of Justice filed a legal brief on Monday in favor of the American Trucking Association’s (ATA) lawsuit against the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, claiming that the ports are attempting to regulate the trucking industry by requiring companies to obtain concession contracts before doing business.
The conflict circles around a September District Court ruling against the ATA, allowing the ports to proceed with the Clean Trucks Plan. The Justice Department claims that Judge Christina Snyder erred in her judgment.
Take it away, Daily Breeze reporter Art Marroquin:
On top of that, the Justice Department also questioned a provision by the Port of Los Angeles that requires freight haulers to hire drivers as employees, leading to a gradual ban on independent owner-operator truckers within five years. The Port of Long Beach did not adopt the employee mandate.
“We’re very happy that the federal government agrees with our positions, particularly on the issue of whether Judge Snyder failed to find that some of the concession requirements are not connected to safety issues,” said Curtis Whalen, executive director of the ATA’s intermodal conference.
More to come as details emerge about what the brief means to the future of the Clean Trucks Plan.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor