(a) (1) A broker of construction trucking services, as defined in Section 3322 of the Civil Code, shall not furnish construction transportation services to any construction project unless it has secured a surety bond of not less than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) executed by an admitted surety insurer. The surety bond shall ensure the payment of the claims of a contracted motor carrier of property in dump truck equipment if the broker fails to pay the contracted motor carrier within the time period specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 3322 of the Civil Code.

(2) (A) A broker of construction trucking services annually shall provide written evidence of the broker’s valid surety bond to a third-party nonprofit organization that is related to the industry and regularly maintains a published database of bonded brokers or post a current copy of the surety bond on the broker’s Internet Web site.

(B) When a copy of a surety bond is provided to a third-party nonprofit organization, the broker shall notify the third-party nonprofit organization if at any time the surety bond is cancelled or expired. When a copy of the surety bond is posted on the broker’s Internet Web site, the broker shall remove the copy of the surety bond from his or her Internet Web site if at any time the surety bond is cancelled or expired.

(C) A third-party nonprofit organization shall not charge a broker for posting evidence of a valid surety bond or limit the posting of the bond only to the organization’s members.

(D) A third-party nonprofit organization shall not be liable for any damages caused by the publication of any information provided pursuant to this paragraph that is erroneous or outdated.

(b)  A broker of construction trucking services shall not hire, or otherwise engage the services of, a motor carrier of property to furnish construction transportation services unless the broker provides, prior to the commencement of work each calendar year, written evidence of the broker’s valid surety bond to any person that hires, or otherwise engages the services of, the broker to furnish construction transportation services and also to the hired motor carrier of property.

(c) A broker of construction trucking services who furnishes construction transportation services in violation of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000).

(d) In any civil action brought against a broker of construction trucking services by a motor carrier of property in dump truck equipment with whom the broker contracted during any period of time in which the broker did not have a surety bond in violation of this section, the failure to have the bond shall create a rebuttable presumption that the broker failed to pay to the motor carrier the amount due and owing.

(e) For purposes of this section, “a broker of construction trucking services” does not include a facility that meets all the following requirements:

(1) Arranges for transportation services of its product.

(2) Primarily handles raw materials to produce a new product.

(3) Is a rock product operation (such as an “aggregate” operation), a hot mixing asphalt plant, or a concrete, concrete product, or Portland cement product manufacturing facility.

(4) Does not accept a fee for the arrangement.

(f) For the purposes of this section, “written evidence of the broker’s valid surety bond” includes a copy of the surety bond, a certificate of insurance, a continuation certificate, or other similar documentation originally issued from the surety that includes the surety’s and broker’s name, the bond number, and the effective and expiration dates of the bond.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 76, Sec. 197. (AB 383) Effective January 1, 2014.)