Stay Up to Date on Trucking Industry Laws & Regulations
Trucking regulations are determined by several government agencies in the United States. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the lead agency responsible for trucking laws, regulating and providing safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles (including over 500,000 commercial trucking companies. The FMCSA’s mission is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.
There’s also the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which supports state and local governments in the design, construction and maintenance of the country’s highway system. FHWA programs include the Federal-Aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program.
Other agencies involved in transportation regulations include the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the Maritime Administration (MARAD).
Find more news and information on our Trucking Industry page.
Three years after winning an exemption to use cameras instead of ungainly outside mirrors on semi-trucks, Stoneridge Inc. is winning over fleets.
Bipartisan legislation would limit truck speeds to no more than 70 mph.
ATRI plans to build on research studying the effects of legalized marijuana and employing 18- to 20-year-old drivers.
With the Canadian ELD mandate going into effect on June 12, fleets operating in that country need to know the key differences from U.S. regulations and whether they have a compliant device.
FMCSA clearinghouse data reveals violations per number of employers within states.
Regulations coming out of SCQAMD are usually for stationary sources of pollution, but the rules on trucks are an expansion of its authority.
NHTSA is looking for truck drivers to test the safety of in-cab cameras.
DOT’s response to the Interstate 40 bridge outage needs more urgency, according to U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
Republicans unveil a $400 billion, five-year highway bill reauthorization ahead of Democrats’ proposal.
While a request for Supreme Court review of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to overturn an injunction banning enforcement of California’s AB5 will almost certainly follow, at this time, motor carriers who operate in California must be prepared to act in accordance with AB5.
Driver surveillance surfaces as a potential downside at a vehicle automation hearing.
The word “safety” is everywhere in the trucking industry. It is talked about nearly every day in the press, Congress has zeroed in on it, and most carriers will say that it is their top priority. With all this attention, it’s easy to believe that safety has become cliché. But it’s not.
A VMT user fee has support from “Secretary Pete” — but not from trucking.
The Consumer Brands Association is urging federal action from transportation agencies to head off concerns about inflation and rising costs.
A Senate hearing on freight mobility includes a dispute over hours-of-service rules for truckers
Independent truck dispatchers are pushing back on potential regulatory changes that could restrict their services.
Exemption applies to 17 states and District of Columbia
FMCSA official affirms almost half of truck drivers in fatal crashes were not wearing seat belts
Fireworks lobbying group warns Fourth of July celebrations at risk without waiver extensions from FMCSA.
The Senate bill introduced requiring automatic brakes would apply to new trucks starting two years after the final rule.
Biden’s infrastructure plan becomes a platform for legislation that includes billions in grants for fast-charging truck stations.
Carriers continue to face fines and out-of-service violations because they don’t understand the difference between intrastate and interstate operating authority.
Regulators point to fatalities in promoting Work Zone Awareness Week.
Biden executive order will make it easier to lead by example on electric vehicles, DOT chief says.
New guidance from the Biden administration includes the trucking industry as part of its 500,000-charging station rollout.
The Office of Management and Budget is considering whether to greenlight a trucking automated driving systems project.
FMCSA needs more time to integrate the electronic transfer of driver medical certificates to and from state motor carrier agencies.
How not-in-my-backyard activists delayed efforts to invest in trucking on a Tennessee interstate.
The Department of Energy’s SuperTruck 3 earmarks $100 million to expand electric heavy-duty truck concepts to lower emissions.
Experts warned lawmakers of industry backlash if trucking is singled out to save the nearly bankrupt highway trust fund
Biden has picked former New York City regulator Meera Joshi to be administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The U.S. must help secure domestic semiconductor manufacturing, truck manufacturers tell the Biden administration.
NTSB again highlights the need for automated safety devices in trucks in its latest top 10 list.
FMCSA hours-of-service exemption weighs heavily in a court decision rejecting wage claims against XPO Logistics.
Trucking companies cite safety concerns in their request to FMCSA to allow limited use of hair testing to screen for drugs.
Drivers often take the blame for roadside violations, but remaining in compliance with regulations is a team effort that includes maintenance personnel and safety operations in a fleet.
As International Roadcheck 2021 quickly approaches, truck drivers need to prepare for the inspection process. Here are five tips J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. recommend drivers follow to make the process easier.
Labor groups tell DOT that automated vehicle policy should not be based on industry self-regulation.
Peter DeFazio, a top transportation lawmaker, wants the Federal Communications Commission to rethink adopting rules that experts say would hinder trucking automation.
A GAO report links accurate data collection to motor carrier costs.
Lawmakers hear from trucking on outlook for achieving zero-emission vehicle targets
An American Transportation Research Institute study finds the cost to deploy and collect a vehicle-miles-traveled tax would be 300 times more than the current fuel tax.
Congressman Sam Graves proposes using the Postal Service to test a new bridge and highway funding effort.
Understanding trucking automation’s effect on the trucker workforce is a priority for the Biden administration, an FMCSA official asserts.
A. Bailey Wood takes over as head of the Commercial Vehicle Training Alliance from Don Lefeve.
The Canadian government won’t say when enforcement of its ELD mandate will begin. But it won’t happen on day one. And it’s unclear when the first devices will get approval.
FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse data reveals 47,995 drivers are ineligible due to violations.
XPO and port drayage are in the Teamsters Union target sights in backing the PRO Act.
Trucking fleets that conduct only yearly reviews of driver records may miss signs of risky driver behavior that ultimately could put lives in jeopardy.
Biden’s executive order seeks short-term and long-term review of critical supply chains.
Together for Safer Roads President David Braunstein discusses the potential Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan holds for safer freight movement.
Consumer Brands Association study calls for establishing a federal Office of Supply Chain to coordinate public-private strategies.
Regulators give Wilson Logistics more flexibility for CLP holders participating in revenue-generating freight.
Washington appeals court asked to place in abeyance HOS review for 60 days due to the new administration.
Fuel haulers are getting relief from hours-of-service rules as a winter storm moves into the Northeast.
Proposed mandatory guidelines to hair test for drugs could change — or see a lengthy delay.
Ongoing risks attributed to COVID-19 trigger a three-month extension to hours-of-service exemptions.
A judge denied the request by truckload carrier Western Express to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a driver seeking meal- and rest-break pay.
A member of Congress bets on getting his truck parking expansion proposal included in the highway bill.
The Teamsters’ Central States Pension Fund could be saved through the COVID-19 relief package.
OOIDA testifies on vaccine and truck parking concerns before the House transportation committee.
What suggestions would you give new Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg? Our reporters share theirs in this FreightWaves roundtable.
Trucks hauling COVID vaccines won’t get pulled over, says the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Pete Buttigieg wants to push through an infrastructure package that links highway funding to electric vehicles and climate policy.
CDC implements President Biden’s executive order on mask requirements at transport hubs.
A trucking lobbyist sees the Biden administration taking up the detention time challenge.
Sen. Maria Cantwell seeks COVID-19 vaccine priority for the food transportation sector.
There’s a steep learning curve for importers and exporters now that the U.K. is no longer part of the European Union. Botched customs forms are leading to freight backlogs.
Pete Buttigieg weighs in on infrastructure, trucking regulations and the Jones Act during a three-hour nomination hearing.
DOT announces slate of 40 to the department’s leadership team as the Biden administration kicks into gear.
Former DOT secretaries weigh in on Polly Trottenberg, Biden’s choice for deputy secretary of transportation.
There is a widespread view that the new Department of Labor standards might be pulled back by the Biden administration, but it has an impact on this latest opinion.
A Democratic “trifecta” in Washington could finally push a long-term infrastructure past the finish line.
The Southern California warehouse industry is pushing back against a proposed emissions rule that would make operators of distribution centers responsible for pollutants generated by trucks going into and out of their facilities.
Three-judge panel upholds determination by FMCSA that the agency preempts California’s meal/rest break rules
New 25-driver subcommittee will give FMCSA direct feedback on safety issues.
FMCSA agrees to take action after OIG warns of weaknesses in its medical examiner registry.
An FMCSA pilot project is considering 6/4 and 5/5 split rest periods for sleeper-berth drivers.
FMCSA’s safety advisory committee for 2021 adds two trucking companies and four women.
Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse penalties of up to $5,833 issued by FMCSA are more than double what had been used as guidance over the past two years
DOT Chief Elaine Chao announced a plan for autonomous vehicles on her last day at the department.
FMCSA wants to replace the current vision program by giving medical examiners the ability qualify drivers.
The Geotab reseller segment will be the initial target for VideoProtects transport technology, which J. J. Keller has acquired.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is first cabinet head to quit after storming of U.S. Capitol.
FMCSA rule expanding definition of ag commodities called “meritless and reckless” by group of safety advocates.
The sponsor of concealed-carry reciprocity legislation in Congress has singled out truck drivers as beneficiaries of the proposal.
New Jersey has become the first state in the nation to announce plans to adopt California’s Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) and Heavy-Duty Omnibus rules as momentum builds to expand the […]
Daimler Trucks North America signed a consent order with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration agreeing to pay up to $30 million for tardiness in reporting safety recalls in 2017 and 2018.
NATSO and other retail fuels industry trade groups urge states not to join the Transportation Climate Initiative Program.
The FMCSA has declared a truck driver an “imminent hazard to public safety” after the deaths of five cyclists in an accident in Nevada.
Efforts to require side and front impact guards continue in Congress.
Railroads assert work time flexibility is needed to respond to emergency situations on their tracks.
Latest data from NHTSA shows truck occupant injuries increased by 7,000 in 2019.
Cybersecurity skills are among the gaps identified in GAO review of DOT’s workforce.
Regulators waive safety rule to allow Netradyne dashcams to be mounted lower on the windshield.
The rule is designed to ease testing delays and eliminate inconvenience and expense for new drivers.
As trucking fleets reassess their safety programs for 2021 and the post-pandemic world, here are five steps they can take to reduce their risk exposure.
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out of 2020 presidential campaign earlier this year and endorsed Biden, as secretary of transportation. “I […]
Drivers testing positive for drugs fell 12.7% in November.
Daimler Trucks North America says its Portland, Oregon, manufacturing plant has no carbon dioxide emissions and is the first facility to achieve carbon neutrality in Daimler’s global network.
