Regulatory Update: See what new rules are coming and when

At the recent fall symposium organized by our colleagues at “Commercial Carrier Journal”, Bill Quade, the associate administrator for enforcement and program delivery at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, delivered an update on some of the upcoming rules in the works at the agency. These include:

E-log and driver coercion rules have cleared the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. Quade predicted they will be published as final rules between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Soon after, the agency plans to hold webinars to “make sure everybody understands what is and what is not required, and when,” he said.

The Safety Fitness Determination proposed rule will be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget “soon,” he said, and published before Christmas. The proposal uses on-road performance data to rate companies. The rule will allow the agency to keep ratings current on more carriers. Currently, safety ratings are given to carriers after on-site compliance reviews. FMCSA is able to visit 15,000 carriers a year, but there are about 500,000 registered carriers, he said. Once published, FMCSA plans to do a webinar to explain the differences between the current Safety Measurement System and the new rule.

A proposed rule for entry level driver training will be available in the “next month or two” for comments, he said.

A CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Final Rule will be published in early 2016. The rule would create a database of drivers who have failed or refused to take a drug or alcohol test. Carriers would then be required to query the database when making hires and upload drug testing information. Quade said the database will “take some time” to implement once the rule is published.

A rule to mandate the use of speed limiters on heavy trucks is currently being reviewed by the OMB.

A proposed rule, perhaps available next year, will streamline the transition of military members to CDL holders in civilian life.

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