Health & Public Welfare 214
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Qualifications of Drivers; Vision Standard
by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on 01/12/2021.
FMCSA proposes to amend its regulations to permit individuals who cannot meet either the current distant visual acuity or field of vision standard, or both, in one eye to be physically qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. Currently, such individuals are prohibited from driving CMVs in interstate commerce...
Revisions to Civil Penalty Amounts
by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the Maritime Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on 01/11/2021.
In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, this final rule provides the 2020 inflation adjustment to civil penalty amounts that may be imposed for violations of certain DOT regulations. In additional, this final rule makes conforming revisions to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration...
Rulemaking Procedures Update
FMCSA amends its rulemaking procedures by revising the process for preparing and adopting rules and petitions. Also, the Agency adds new definitions, and makes general administrative corrections throughout its rulemaking procedures. These actions are authorized under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and the Administrative...
Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Rear Impact Guards and Rear Impact Protection
FMCSA proposes to amend the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to include rear impact guards on the list of items that must be examined as part of the required annual inspection for each commercial motor vehicle (CMV). In addition, FMCSA proposes to amend the labeling requirements for rear impact guards, and to exclude road...
Record of Violations
FMCSA proposes to eliminate the requirement that drivers operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce prepare and submit a list of their convictions for traffic violations to their employers annually. This requirement is largely duplicative of a separate provision that requires each motor carrier to make an annual inquiry to...
Hours of Service of Drivers; Definition of Agricultural Commodity
FMCSA clarifies the definition of the terms ``any agricultural commodity,'' ``livestock,'' and ``non-processed food,'' as the terms are used in the definition of ``agricultural commodity'' for the purposes of the Agency's ``Hours of Service (HOS) of Drivers'' regulations. Under current regulations, drivers transporting agricultural commodities,...
Passenger Carrier No-Defect Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports
FMCSA rescinds the requirement that drivers of passenger- carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) operating in interstate commerce submit, and motor carriers retain, driver-vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) when the driver has neither found nor been made aware of any vehicle defects or deficiencies (no-defect DVIRs). This final rule removes...
Hours of Service of Drivers
FMCSA revises the hours of service (HOS) regulations to provide greater flexibility for drivers subject to those rules without adversely affecting safety. The Agency expands the short-haul exception to 150 air-miles and allows a 14-hour work shift to take place as part of the exception; expands the driving window during adverse driving...
Controlled Substances and Alcohol Testing: State Driver's Licensing Agency Non-Issuance/Downgrade of Commercial Driver's License
FMCSA proposes to prohibit State Driver's Licensing Agencies (SDLAs) from issuing, renewing, upgrading, or transferring a commercial driver's license (CDL), or commercial learner's permit (CLP), for individuals prohibited under current regulations from driving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) due to controlled substance (drug) and alcohol...
Incorporation by Reference; North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria; Hazardous Materials Safety Permits
FMCSA amends its Hazardous Materials Safety Permit regulations to incorporate by reference the April 1, 2019, edition of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) ``North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria and Level VI Inspection Procedures and Out-of- Service Criteria for Commercial Highway Vehicles Transporting Transuranics and...
Extension of Compliance Date for Entry-Level Driver Training
FMCSA is amending its December 8, 2016, final rule, ``Minimum Training Requirements for Entry-Level Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators'' (ELDT final rule), by extending the compliance date for the rule from February 7, 2020, to February 7, 2022. This action will provide FMCSA additional time to complete development of the Training Provider...
Extension of Compliance Date for States' Query of the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
FMCSA extends the compliance date for the requirement established by the December 5, 2016, Commercial Driver's License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) final rule that States request information from the Clearinghouse (``query'') about individuals before completing certain commercial driver's license (CDL) transactions for those...
FMCSA proposes to rescind the requirement that drivers of passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) operating in interstate commerce, submit, and motor carriers retain, driver-vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) when the driver has neither found nor been made aware of any vehicle defects or deficiencies (no-defect DVIRs). This proposed...
FMCSA proposes to amend its Hazardous Materials Safety Permits regulations to incorporate by reference the updated Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) handbook. The Out-of-Service Criteria provide enforcement personnel nationwide, including FMCSA's State partners, with uniform enforcement tolerances for roadside inspections. Currently, the...
Limitations on the Issuance of Commercial Driver's Licenses With a Hazardous Materials Endorsement; Interim Final Rule Made Final
FMCSA adopts those requirements of the interim final rule (IFR) published on May 5, 2003 (2003 IFR), and the IFR published on April 29, 2005 (2005 IFR), which have not previously been finalized, as final without change. The 2003 IFR amended the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to prohibit States from issuing, renewing,...
General Technical, Organizational, Conforming, and Correcting Amendments to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
FMCSA amends its regulations by making technical corrections throughout the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The Agency makes minor changes to correct inadvertent errors and omissions, remove or update obsolete references, and improve the clarity and consistency of certain regulatory provisions. The Agency also makes nondiscretionary,...
Hours of Service of Drivers-Restart Provisions
FMCSA amends its hours-of-service (HOS) requirements applicable to drivers of property-carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) to remove provisions requiring that a 34-hour restart include two periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. and limiting use of a restart to once every 168 hours--provisions that were promulgated in December 2011. In a series...
FMCSA proposes to extend the compliance date for the requirement established by the Commercial Driver's License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) final rule that States request information from the Clearinghouse (``query'') before completing certain commercial driver's license (CDL) transactions. The States' compliance with this...
FMCSA proposes amendments to its hours-of-service (HOS) requirements to provide greater flexibility for drivers subject to the HOS rules without adversely affecting safety. This would be accomplished by altering the short-haul exception to the record of duty status (RODS) requirement available to certain commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers,...
Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program
FMCSA proposes amendments to the Agency's financial assistance programs resulting from the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, including amendments based on the funding formula recommendations derived from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) Formula Working Group (working group). This proposal would reorganize the...