Pertaining to household goods carriers and brokers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration this week announced a new policy in which a fine of $10,000 per day may be assessed for any load of household goods held hostage, which the agency defines as a “motor carrier or broker knowingly and willfully fails, in violation of a contract, to deliver or unload at the destination a shipment of HHG for which charges have been estimated and for which payment has been tendered.”

The new policy went into effect Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012, and, in addition to fines, FMCSA says carriers or brokers holding loads hostage could be subject to a suspension of registration for 12 to 36 months.