7/2/04-The Senate Transportation Committee rejected a bill that would have required California trucks to carry a device to enable police or carriers to stop the vehicles while in motion.
AB575, sponsored by Assemblyman John Dutra, D-Fremont, lost a vote before the transportation panel June 29. The vote was 4-4, but since the panel has13 members, seven votes were required for the bill to move forward.
The bill was designed to keep hazardous materials out of the hands of terrorists.
It would have required trucks carrying flammable materials to have some kind of disconnect device – an external mechanism that would either activate the brakes or cut off the fuel to the engine. The device would have to be built in a way that would allow Highway Patrol officers, the motor carrier or an agent of the motor carrier to activate it from the outside of the truck.
The proposal also contained a requirement for GPS tracking devices that would allow carriers to find a truck’s location at any time.