Trucksafe discusses proposed CSA changes with HDT Talks Trucking
Trucksafe's president Brandon Wiseman recently joined Heavy Duty Trucking's Talks Trucking podcast to discuss the FMCSA's proposed revisions to its Safety Measurement System (SMS) and what those changes could mean for regulated fleets. Catch the replay below or at this link. For an even more in-depth discussion of these changes, check out our recent episode of Trucksafe LIVE! on the topic:About Trucksafe Consulting, LLC: Trucksafe Consulting is a full-service DOT regulatory compliance consulting
FMCSA proposes substantial revisions to its Safety Measurement System (SMS)
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is proposing fairly substantial changes to its Safety Measurement System (SMS) also known as CSA, which the agency uses to prioritize motor carriers for enforcement. According to a notice published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2023, "FMCSA continues its commitment to continuously improving SMS to identify motor carriers that present the highest crash risk through a transparent and effective system." We'll break it all down in thi
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA delivers another blow to hair testing
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register soon, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced its decision to deny a petition filed by The Alliance for Driver Safety & Security--an alliance of large motor carriers--concerning the use of hair testing for DOT-mandated drug tests. If you are a CDL driver or you employ them, you’re familiar with the DOT drug testing process, which has historically relied on urinalysis as the only approved method for conducting DOT-manda
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA proposes to scale back regulatory relief during declared emergencies
According to a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register soon, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is proposing to "narrow the scope of regulations from which relief is provided automatically for motor carriers providing direct assistance when an emergency has been declared."For decades, the agency's regulations have granted fairly broad regulatory relief to those providing direct assistance to "emergency relief efforts" following emergency declarations issued
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA clarifies key brokerage definitions
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), at the direction of the U.S. Congress, has issued regulatory guidance aimed at clarifying the statutory and regulatory definitions of the terms "broker" and "bona fide agent." As explained in the agency's November 15, 2022 notice, this "interim guidance [is intended] to inform the public and regulated entities about FMCSA’s interpretation of the definitions of 'broker' and 'bona fide agents' as it relates to all brokers of transportation b
Brandon Wiseman
COVID-19 emergency HOS exemption lapses
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has chosen not to renew its Covid-19 emergency declaration that had been in place since March 2020 and provided some regulatory relief (primarily HOS-related) for carriers and drivers transporting certain commodities as part of the emergency relief efforts like vaccines, food supplies, etc. The declaration, which the agency had renewed several times over the past two years, expired on October 15th. According to the FMCSA's website, "There a
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA contemplating electronic vehicle identification tags
Among its flurry of recently-published notices, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced it is seeking comments on whether the agency should amend its regulations to require "every commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operating in interstate commerce to be equipped with electronic identification (ID) technology capable of wirelessly communicating a unique ID number when queried by a Federal or State motor carrier safety enforcement personnel." The agency's notice is a resp
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA mulling tweaks to ELD rules
In a notice published in the Federal Register in mid-September 2022, the FMCSA is seeking comments from the public on whether to modify certain portions of its electronic logging device (ELD) rule. That rule, first published in 2015, mandated the use of ELDs by most regulated drivers as a means to more accurately track their daily duty status. According to the FMCSA, “lessons learned by Agency staff, State enforcement personnel, ELD providers, and industry over the last few years can be used to
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA evaluating continued need for COVID emergency declaration
In a notice posted to the Federal Register on September 6, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking comments from regulated motor carriers concerning their use of the existing COVID-19 emergency declaration and exemption, in an effort for the agency to determine whether it should continue to renew that declaration going forward. The FMCSA first issued the declaration on March 13, 2020, offering a fairly broad exemption from various parts of the federal safety regu
Brandon WisemanNever Miss an Update
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