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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8799 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8799
To establish certain requirements for any communications by a private
entity regarding United States Department of Transportation numbers,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 13, 2026
Ms. Perez (for herself and Mr. Taylor) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish certain requirements for any communications by a private
entity regarding United States Department of Transportation numbers,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Scamming Truckers Act''.
SEC. 2. USDOT NUMBER COMMUNICATION.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an
agency within the Department of Transportation, administers the
registration and issuance of United States Department of
Transportation numbers (in this section referred to as ``USDOT
numbers'').
(2) Private entities frequently communicate with motor
carriers and prospective motor carriers regarding USDOT number
registration, renewal, updating, or compliance.
(3) Some such communications are presented in a manner that
may reasonably cause recipients to believe the sender is a
Federal agency or acting on behalf of the United States
Government.
(4) Misleading communications regarding USDOT number
registration impose unnecessary costs on motor carriers,
particularly small businesses and owner-operators.
(b) Required Disclosure.--
(1) In general.--Any covered entity that transmits a USDOT
number communication shall include, in a legible font, the
following disclosure:
``This communication is from a private company. We are not the Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Department of Transportation,
or any other Federal Government agency, and we are not affiliated with
the United States Government.''.
(2) Placement.--The disclosure required under paragraph (1)
shall--
(A) appear on the first page of any printed
communication;
(B) appear without the need to scroll in any
electronic or digital communication; and
(C) not be obscured, minimized, contradicted, or
qualified by any other statement or design element.
(3) Prohibited representations.--A covered entity may not--
(A) use any name, seal, logo, insignia, or trade
dress that would reasonably imply affiliation with
FMCSA or the Department of Transportation; or
(B) State or imply that payment to the covered
entity is required to obtain or maintain a USDOT
number.
(c) Private Right of Action.--
(1) In general.--Any person who receives a USDOT number
communication that violates this Act may bring a civil action
in an appropriate United States district court.
(2) Damages.--In an action brought under this subsection, a
court may award--
(A) actual damages, including any amounts paid to
the covered entity;
(B) statutory damages of not less than $500 and not
more than $5,000 per violation, per communication;
(C) injunctive or declaratory relief; and
(D) reasonable attorneys' fees and costs.
(3) Burden of proof.--A plaintiff shall not be required to
prove actual reliance, intent to deceive, or actual confusion
to prevail under this section.
(4) Statute of limitations.--The statute of limitations for
an action brought under this subsection shall be 5 years.
(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act may be construed to
limit--
(1) enforcement authority of the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration or the Department of Transportation; or
(2) any State law or regulation that provides equal or
greater protection against deceptive practices.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) USDOT number communication.--The term ``USDOT number
communication'' means any written, electronic, or digital
communication that references--
(A) the registration, issuance, renewal, updating,
or maintenance of a USDOT number; or
(B) compliance with Federal motor carrier
registration or identification requirements
administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration.
(2) Covered entity.--The term ``covered entity'' means any
person, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal
entity, other than a Federal, State, or local government
agency, that transmits a USDOT number communication in the
course of commerce.
(3) Legible font.--The term ``legible font'' means a font
size, style, and color that is easily readable by a reasonable
person, and in no event smaller than--
(A) 12-point font in printed communications; or
(B) the predominant font size used in the body text
of the communication for electronic or digital
communications.
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