Panel OKs Tougher Food-Truck Rules

A House committee approved legislation Friday that would stop the hauling of garbage in refrigerated trucks used to ship food, drugs and cosmetics, and the back-to-back hauling of chemicals and foodstuffs in cargo tankers.

The vote by the Public Works and Transportation Committee was the second this week in the House on legislation aimed at regulating “backhauling,” the practice of finding cargoes for return trips in order to make efficient use of vehicles.

A number of hearings have disclosed that cities in the East are sending their garbage to Midwestern landfills in vehicles that earlier brought foods east from inland producers. Hearings have also disclosed that wheat shipments from the West have been contaminated by previous shipments of pesticides and fertilizers.

The Energy and Commerce panel’s subcommittee on transportation and hazardous materials earlier this week approved a bill requiring federal authorities to determine which materials may or may not be backhauled and establishing procedures for proper cleaning between shipments of allowed materials.

That legislation has yet to go before the full committee.