PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jul 24, 2003
Intermodal Equipment Safety and Responsibility Act of 2003 - Subjects an equipment controller to liability for the systematic inspection, maintenance, and repair of equipment interchanged or intended for interchange.
Requires an equipment controller: (1) prior to offering a motor carrier agent the equipment for interchange, to inspect the equipment and perform maintenance and repairs to the equipment to ensure that it complies with all applicable Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations; and (2) to promptly reimburse the motor carrier for actual expenses incurred and time spent by the motor carrier for any repair required to interchanged equipment to comply with the Regulations while in a motor carrier's possession.
Makes an equipment controller liable for all violations of the Regulations attributable to the controller's equipment. Directs the controller to pay any applicable fines, penalties, and damages resulting from such violations, except for violations attributable to the controller's equipment that are proximately caused by the motor carrier's negligence or willful misconduct.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to conduct inspections.
Prohibits an equipment controller from: (1) retaliating against a motor carrier who requests maintenance or repair of equipment intended for interchange to comply with the Regulations; and (2) delegating its responsibility to systematically maintain and repair equipment intended for interchange to a motor carrier in an equipment interchange agreement.
People & committees
Rep. Brown, Henry E., Jr. [R-SC-1] · R–SC
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 18, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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