FMCSA
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000, pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 (49 U.S.C. 113). Formerly a part of the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries. Activities of the Administration contribute to ensuring safety in motor carrier operations through strong enforcement of safety regulations; targeting high-risk carriers and commercial motor vehicle drivers; improving safety information systems and commercial motor vehicle technologies; strengthening commercial motor vehicle equipment and operating standards; and increasing safety awareness. To accomplish these activities, the Administration works with Federal, State, and local enforcement agencies, the motor carrier industry, labor and safety interest groups, and others.
FMCSA Extends COVID-19 Declaration Another Three Months
We wrote at the start of September that it was anyone’s guess as to if the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) would extend the hours-of-service suspension for hauling in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. We now have our answer: yes, it is being extended.DetailsThe extension was announced on November 29th, just a few days […]
Pandemic Strengthens FMCSA Inspection Powers
It is a secret to absolutely nobody that there has been a pandemic for the past six months or so. The federal government, especially the White House, has been making efforts to reduce not only the health effects of COVID-19, but the secondary collateral effects on the economy as well. This scenario the world finds […]
FMCSA Awards Nearly $80 Million in Grants
The United States government operates as an agreement between 50 individual states, as well as the country as a whole, called the federal level. The states help the federal, and the federal helps the states, whenever assistance is needed. On Wednesday, August 19th, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that it would be […]
FMCSA Opens Feedback on Broker Transparency Petition
Three months ago, the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), requesting new regulations and/or increased enforcement of current ones. Now, the FMCSA is opening comments to the public allowing them to submit their thoughts. The Story So Far Current rules state that records of brokered transactions must be […]
FMCSA Extends Pandemic License Relief
President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order No. 13924,85 FR 31353 on May 19th, 2020. This directed federal agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, to take action in fighting not just the coronavirus pandemic, but the economic damages resulting from the pandemic as well. One way the FMCSA took action was to suspend […]
OOIDA Petitions FMCSA for Broker Transparency
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has been in the news a lot lately, and the news surrounding them only gets longer as time goes on. On May 19th, the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) filed a petition with the FMCSA to demand new regulations that improve broker transparency. The Problem Owner-Operators are starting […]
FMCSA Considers Expanding Amber Brake Light Exemption
When the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) authorized Groendyke Transport to use pulsating amber brake lights next to the standard red ones on tanker trucks, they probably did not expect rear-end collisions to drop over 33%. That is exactly what happened, and now safety experts at the FMCSA are deliberating on making it the […]
FMCSA Distribution of Protective Masks for Truck Drivers
By The FMCSA Friday, May 1, 2020 The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is assisting in the distribution of one million protective masks to the nation’s commercial truck drivers. FMCSA has been working with states, industry stakeholders, and motor carriers to distribute one million protective face masks for truckers which were provided by the […]
FMCSA Extends Hours of Service Relief Declaration
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Wednesday, April 8 extended its national emergency declaration to May 15. Originally enacted March 13, the declaration provides relief from hours of service regulations for drivers responding to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The original declaration was to expire Sunday, April 12. The agency said the extension also covers liquefied gases to […]
FMCSA Expands Its COVID-19 Response
Recently the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced for the first time in history national suspension of certain Hours of Service regulations. This was in response to the coronavirus State of Emergency. This Wednesday on March 18th, the FMCSA has expanded the suspensions further. “Under Secretary Chao’s leadership, FMCSA is providing additional regulatory relief […]
FMCSA Declares National Emergency in Response to COVID-19
Suspensions of Hours of Service (HOS) regulations are nothing new to the trucking industry, just recently there were two declared in Alabama and Tennessee. What is new is that the FMCSA has announced a nationwide suspension on HOS regulations in regards to commercial vehicle drivers hauling emergency relief across the entire country. The National Emergency […]
FMCSA Lowers Annual Registration Fees
In a move that had truckers across the nation rejoicing, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced on February 13th, 2020 that it would be lowering registration fees for motor carriers starting with registration year 2020 and continuing for the foreseeable future. Unified Carrier Registration Plan The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan is no […]
FMCSA Delays Entry-Level Driver Training Rule
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) works hard to use the power of technology to increase transportation industry safety nationwide, but sometimes their speed of implementation falls short of expectation. The implementation of this rule has been pushed back two years from February 7th, 2020 to 2022. What is the Entry-Level Driver Training Rule? […]
FMCSA Clearinghouse
Just when you thought the FMCSA was done regulating, they toss on even more regulations. This time it’s with the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The website is loaded with information on the new database, and you really should go there if you want to obtain a full understanding of the program. For those who […]
FMCSA is Announcing a Proposed Rule Changes
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Publishes Hours of Service Proposal to Improve Safety and Increase Flexibility for Commercial Drivers WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on changes to hours of service (HOS) rules to increase safety on America’s roadways by […]