Indemnity provisions set for intermodal interchanges of equipment

Indemnity provisions set for intermodal interchanges of equipment    The Intermodal Interchange Executive Committee has approved changes to the indemnity provisions of the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement.
   The revisions will allocate responsibility for latent equipment defects to equipment providers, such as railroads, ocean carriers and equipment leasing companies, and hold them accountable for negligent acts.
   Under the revisions, truckers are responsible for pre-trip inspections of equipment components. This requirement will be part of a federally mandated walk-around inspection for drivers.
   The former indemnity language was considered an obstacle to the development of a private-sector answer to the roadability issue. The revisions bring together the final pieces to the Systematic Maintenance Check Program that is being tested in Baltimore.
   The Intermodal Interchange Executive Committee is part of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). The association praised the supporting work of counterpart associations: the American Trucking Associations, Ocean Carriers Equipment Management Association, and Association of American Railroads.
   “The adoption of this revised indemnity language is a milestone for motor carriers in achieving interchange equity,” said Greg Stefflre, chief executive officer of Imagine! Transport Group, in a statement. “I hope we can maintain the momentum as we deal with other aspects of shared responsibility.”