Expert Insights on DOT Compliance
In-depth analysis, regulatory updates, and practical compliance guidance from transportation attorneys and industry experts.
CDL Drug Testing Faces Uncertainty After Trump Executive Order
It's official. December 18, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Attorney General to "take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act in the most expeditious manner."For the cannabis industry, it's a landmark moment. For the trucking industry, it's the beginning of a very uncertain chapter, one that hinges entirely on how the Department of Health and Human Services, the
What Trump’s Marijuana Rescheduling Executive Order Could Mean for Trucking
On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to expand medical marijuana and cannabidiol research and to move marijuana toward rescheduling under the Controlled Substances Act. While the order is framed around science, medicine, and research access, it has once again raised a critical question for the trucking industry: what happens to federal drug testing and highway safety if marijuana is no longer treated as a Schedule I drug?This is not a new con
Brandon Wiseman
Top 10 Regulatory Developments Fleets Should Understand Heading Into 2026
If 2024 hinted at regulatory turbulence, 2025 made it impossible to ignore. Over the past year, FMCSA and USDOT unleashed the most aggressive series of compliance initiatives in more than a decade—targeting language proficiency, non-domiciled CDL issuance, electronic logging devices, medical certification, training quality, and core data systems. These moves were not isolated events; collectively, they signaled a larger shift toward enforcement-first policymaking and heightened scrutiny on found
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA Cleans House: 3,000 CDL Schools Removed from the Training Provider Registry
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) took long-overdue action this week to clean up the nation’s CDL training landscape. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that nearly 3,000 training providers have been removed from the federal Training Provider Registry (TPR), and another 4,500 have been placed on notice for noncompliance.That’s 7,500 providers—roughly 17% of the registry—flagged in one sweep. The scale of the problem raises the obvious question: If these providers
FMCSA to tighten ELD self-certification process
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced a significant shift in how it evaluates and approves Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), marking the most substantial change to the approval process since the ELD mandate first took effect. While the agency continues to stop short of a full third-party certification program—similar to the one now used in Canada—its move toward a more structured, hands-on vetting approach signals a notable evolution in federal oversight of the ELD marke
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA Flags Pennsylvania for Non-Domiciled CDL Irregularities
FMCSA has once again turned its attention to state-level CDL practices, this time issuing a pointed preliminary determination of substantial noncompliance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania over how it has been issuing non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and CDLs. The nine-page letter, dated November 19, 2025, reads as both a technical audit and a warning shot, signaling that the Agency’s scrutiny of lawful-presence verification and non-domiciled credentialing practices is expandi
Brandon Wiseman
Chameleon Carriers, Fraud Detection, and FMCSA’s Evolving Data Strategy
Chameleon carriers—trucking companies that shut down and quickly reopen under new identities to avoid regulatory enforcement—have posed a persistent challenge for federal regulators for more than a decade. These operators, often emerging with new names, DOT numbers, or corporate structures, can be difficult to distinguish from legitimate new entrants simply trying to begin operations. Yet the stakes are high. Reincarnated carriers have historically shown higher crash rates, and their ability to
Federal Court temporarily halts FMCSA’s non-domiciled CDL rule
In a major development with nationwide implications for motor carriers, foreign drivers, and state licensing agencies, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has temporarily stayed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) controversial interim final rule (IFR) restricting the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). The court’s November 10, 2025 order halts the rule pending further judicial review, creating further uncertainty for the industry. Judg
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA Tightens Rules for Non-Domiciled CDLs in Wake of Fatal Crashes
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) to tighten the the rules governing the issuance of commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to individuals domiciled outside the United States. The rule, which takes effect immediately upon publication in the Federal Register, represents one of the most significant shifts in driver-credentialing policy in recent memory. FMCSA says the move is necessary to “restore int
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