§500.124. Liability bond in lieu of insurance policy. — Inbound Citations

(i) All employer-provided transportation must comply with all applicable local, State, or Federal laws and regulations, and must provide, at a minimum, the same transportation safety standards, driver's licensure, and vehicle insurance required under 29 U.S.C. 1841, 29 CFR 500.104 or 500.105, and 29 CFR 500.120 through 500.128.

(ii) The employer must not operate, or allow any other person to operate, any employer-provided transportation that is required by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including 49 CFR 571.208, to be manufactured with seat belts, unless all passengers and the driver are properly restrained by seat belts meeting standards established by the U.S. Department of Transportation, including 49 CFR 571.209 and 571.210.

(iii) The job offer must include a description of the modes of transportation (e.g., type of vehicle) that will be used for inbound, outbound, daily, and any other transportation.

(iv) If workers' compensation is used to cover transportation in lieu of vehicle insurance, the employer must either ensure that the workers' compensation covers all travel or that vehicle insurance exists to provide coverage for travel not covered by workers' compensation and it must have property damage insurance.

(a) Except where a liability bond pursuant to § 500.124 of this part has been approved by the Secretary, a farm labor contractor, agricultural employer or agricultural association shall, in order to meet the insurance requirements in § 500.120, obtain a policy of vehicle liability insurance.

(c) Responsibility for compliance with the motor vehicle safety and insurance provisions of section 401 of the Act and §§ 500.100 through 500.128 of these regulations is imposed upon the person or persons using or causing to be used, any vehicle for transportation of migrant or seasonal agricultural workers. As stated in these regulations, the transportation safety provisions do not include certain car pooling arrangements. Additionally, these regulations do not impose responsibility on an agricultural employer or agricultural association for a farm labor contractor's failure to adhere to the safety provisions provided in these regulations when the farm labor contractor is providing the vehicles and directing their use. However, when an agricultural employer or agricultural association specifically directs or requests a farm labor contractor to use the contractor's vehicle to carry out a task for the agricultural employer or agricultural association, such direction constitutes causing the vehicle to be used and the agricultural employer or agricultural association is jointly responsible with the farm labor contractor for assuring that the vehicle meets the insurance, and safety and health provisions of these regulations. In all cases a person using a farm labor contractor is required to take reasonable steps to determine that the vehicle used by the farm labor contractor is authorized to be used for transportation as prescribed in section 402 of the Act and § 500.71 of these regulations.