Washington H.B. 1719
Status: Reintroduced and Retained in Present Status, May 2013
This bill would require a port district in a county with a population of 800,000 or more to employ drayage truck operators to transport containerized cargo other than agricultural products at or through the port. The port district may enter into contracts with cargo owners and shippers to provide the services of such drayage truck operators. All transporting of containerized cargo other than agricultural products in such a port district would be required to take place pursuant to a contract or contracts entered into pursuant to the above.
Based on county populations, this bill would only affect King and Pierce Counties, which include the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. It would effectively require all drayage truckers who work out of those ports by transporting non-agricultural containerized cargo to be employees.
Definitions
“Agricultural products” means any product of plant cultivation or animal husbandry including, but not limited to:
- a product of horticulture, grain cultivation, vermiculture, viticulture, or aquaculture as defined in Wash. Rev. Code § 15.85.020;
- plantation Christmas trees;
- short-rotation hardwoods as defined in Wash. Rev. Code § 84.33.035;
- turf; or
- any animal including but not limited to an animal that is a private sector cultured aquatic product as defined in Wash. Rev. Code § 15.85.020, or a bird, or insect, or the substances obtained from such an animal.
“Agricultural product” does not include animals defined as pet animals under Wash. Rev. Code § 16.70.020.
- “Drayage truck operator” means the driver of any in-use on-road vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 33,000 pounds who enters a port district for the purpose of transporting containerized cargo other than agricultural products.
