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September 8, 1999 11:04 AM, EDT

The governor of Illinois made some adjustments to a legislative act that would forbid the owner of unsafe intermodal equipment from tendering it to a trucker, and sent it back to lawmakers.

If the General Assembly accepts Gov. George Ryan’s changes, Illinois will get a law, effective July 1, very similar to roadability requirements on the books in South Carolina and Louisiana, defining who is responsible for the chassis and containers handed off by shippers, steamship lines and railroads,

The Illinois act prohibits companies from offering intermodal trailers, chassis or containers that violate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and creates fines of up to $500 against those who violate that prohibition.

It would also require equipment providers to reimburse truckers for any out-of-service fines or repair work incurred as the result of faulty equipment.

Ryan amended the bill, which had already cleared the assembly, to provide that it was a trucker’s duty — rather than a right — to inspect the intermodal equipment before it leaves the yard.

Fred Serpe, executive director of the Illinois Transportation Association, said he expects the legislature to approve the law. The General Assembly meets again at the end of September.

Federal hearings are expected in the fall on a possible national regulation (8-30, p. 43).