St. Cloud, Minnesota — Representative Brad Finstad (R‑MN) rolled out HR 7198, dubbed the “Prove It Act,” on the House floor Tuesday, demanding that federal agencies demonstrate the impact of every new rule on small businesses before it takes effect.

The move comes as owner‑operators and independent carriers, who make up roughly 96 % of the nation’s motor carriers, struggle to keep pace with an ever‑shifting maze of FMCSA regulations and other mandates. Finstad, a farmer and small‑business owner who also holds a Class A CDL, says the current rulemaking process adds costs that small fleets simply cannot absorb.

Since 2009, the Government Accountability Office estimates that regulatory paperwork has siphoned more than $730 billion from the economy and forced small firms to log an extra 480 million hours of compliance work. The latest flashpoint is the FMCSA’s draft proposal to require speed limiters on most heavy‑duty trucks – a rule Finstad calls “hare‑brained” and unsafe. To block that effort, he co‑sponsored the DRIVE Act, which now carries 37 House co‑sponsors after Rep. David Rouzer (R‑NC) joined on Feb. 28. The Owner‑Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), representing about 150 000 members, has pledged to rally its base against the speed‑limiter push and to press lawmakers to back the Prove It Act.

What This Means for Drivers

For a CDL‑A driver running a one‑truck shop, the Prove It Act could force agencies to publish cost‑benefit analyses before imposing new hours‑of‑service limits or electronic logging device upgrades. Owner‑operators would gain a legal avenue to challenge rules that demand expensive retrofits without clear safety gains. Fleet managers could see fewer surprise compliance deadlines, allowing them to plan maintenance and staffing around predictable regulatory calendars. In practice, the bill promises to trim paperwork, lower insurance premiums tied to compliance risk, and keep more cash in the pocket of drivers hunting for truck driver jobs.

Industry Reaction

OOIDA’s executive board hailed the legislation as a long‑overdue check on Washington’s “regulation treadmill.” The group’s newsletters urge members to email their representatives via the association’s Fighting For Truckers portal, emphasizing that a united front can keep FMCSA from imposing speed limiters without industry input. Several regional trucking firms have echoed the sentiment, noting that every new rule forces them to divert drivers from OTR routes to administrative tasks, eroding profitability and slowing hiring for trucking companies hiring now.

Key Points

• Prove It Act (HR 7198) requires agencies to quantify costs before finalizing rules.
• Government paperwork has cost $730 billion and added 480 million hours since 2009.
• Owner‑operators represent 96 % of U.S. motor carriers and lack in‑house compliance staff.
• DRIVE Act, co‑sponsored by Finstad, blocks FMCSA speed‑limiter proposals; 37 House members now support it.

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