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A federal appeals court has sent an appeal in an Idaho hemp civil lawsuit back to a state court, deciding to abstain from a ruling on whether to return to the owners a 6,700-pound load of hemp seized en route from Oregon to Colorado by Idaho State Police earlier this year.

California lawmakers have passed a bill that codifies into law a 2018 state Supreme Court decision that makes it easier for independent contractors to become reclassified as employees of motor carriers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a proposed rule that would continue to reduce commercial vehicle registration fees in 2020 and 2021, the agency said in a Federal Register announcement on Aug. 27.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that on Sept. 17, it will conduct a second listening session on potential changes to the agency’s hours-of-service rule.

Commercial vehicle inspectors conducted more than 67,000 inspections during a stepped-up three-day enforcement effort in June, putting 12,019 commercial vehicles and 2,784 drivers out of service.

A three-judge appeals court panel heard arguments Aug. 28 in a lawsuit challenging the confiscation of a 6,700-pound load of hemp being transported from Oregon to Colorado.

Federal trucking regulators have approved grocery giant Transco Inc.’s request for a five-year exemption from the 30-minute hours-of-service rest break provision for the company’s more than 3,500 commercial motor vehicle drivers.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled that Navistar Inc. does not have to pay Tennessee trucking company Milan Supply Chain Solutions an estimated $31 million, reversing a 2017 jury decision.

The New Jersey Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Labor signed a joint agreement to step up efforts to protect employees, including truck drivers, from illegal misclassification as independent contractors.