Regulations
FMCSA rulemakings, enforcement policy, and regulatory moves affecting drivers and carriers.
24 stories, newest first · page 1 of 2
FMCSA's HOS flexibility pilots move to White House review; comments open through Dec. 7
The split-sleeper and split-duty pilots cleared a new procedural step — and the sleeper study will test 6/4 and 5/5 splits that go well beyond today's rules.
FDA clears key hurdle for DOT oral fluid drug testing — but labs still need HHS certification
An Oct. 6 FDA order exempts clinical toxicology test systems used in federal drug testing programs from premarket notification — a major step toward oral fluid as a urine alternative, though DOT employers still can't use it yet.
Ohio's lawsuit-funding disclosure law takes effect today — with a first-in-the-nation foreign-funding ban
Starting Oct. 6, Ohio requires disclosure of third-party litigation funding deals; OOIDA says outside investors are bankrolling truck-crash lawsuits and inflating verdicts and insurance costs.
FMCSA advances 14-hour clock-pause pilot: 256 drivers, up to 3 hours of split-duty time
The Split Duty Period study would let participating drivers pause the 14-hour window for up to 3 hours using off-duty, sleeper-berth, or on-duty time at pickup and delivery — aimed squarely at detention time.
New Jersey's ABC test for independent contractors takes effect — no carve-outs
The ABC test for independent contractor status took effect Oct. 1 in New Jersey with no industry carve-outs — and the "outside the usual course of business" prong is the landmine for trucking.
Seventh Circuit keeps truckers' fingerprint-privacy suit against Union Pacific alive
The Sept. 30 ruling rejects Union Pacific's claim that its government contracts exempt it from Illinois' biometric privacy law over fingerprint scans at intermodal gates.
FMCSA returns automatic emergency relief to 30 days
The final rule, effective Oct. 5, undoes a 2023 cut that had shortened the automatic relief window to 14 days after regional emergency declarations.
FMCSA restores 30-day emergency HOS relief for disaster-response hauls
A final rule changes 49 CFR 390.23(b) from 14 days to 30 days of automatic hours-of-service exemption for drivers giving direct assistance in declared regional emergencies; Federal Register publication is set for Oct. 5, effective the same day.
FMCSA's Barrs: about 1,000 bad non-domiciled CDLs coming off the rolls each month
Speaking at the TenFour D.C. rally on the National Mall, FMCSA chief Derek Barrs gave a public pace figure for the non-domiciled CDL purge and called industry fraud "rampant" while touting the DOT-DHS task force.
Minnesota grants truckers emergency HOS and 10% weight relief through Oct. 30
Gov. Tim Walz's Emergency Executive Order 26-11 lets harvest haulers run 10% heavier on state roads and eases hours-of-service rules for fuel haulers as diesel tops $6.50 a gallon.
Florida destroys 16,960 pounds of seafood after the same load is rejected twice
Inspectors at I-95's Station 16B denied entry to a warm box truck of seafood — then recognized it the next day, frozen and re-presented as a different load.
New bill proposes $100K cabotage fines, mandatory English tests for truckers
Rep. Brandon Gill introduced Barron's Law on Monday: standardized English testing for CDL issuance and renewal, $100,000-per-day fines for illegal cabotage, and a GPS geofencing pilot at busy land ports.
FMCSA working on rule to end ELD self-certification
Deputy Administrator Jesse Elison said ending self-certification is among Administrator Barrs' top priorities — and that FMCSA has removed nearly 100 ELDs from its registry since the start of 2025.
Trump to tour Peterbilt's Denton plant Thursday, tout tariff-driven manufacturing
The president tours the Peterbilt plant and speaks to workers Thursday as the White House credits its 25% heavy-truck tariff with 1,000+ new Denton jobs — figures FreightWaves says it could not independently confirm.
New York argues its $73M CDL case before the Second Circuit
The state says FMCSA found it in 'substantial non-compliance' under an expiration rule that doesn't exist in any statute; a ruling typically takes months.