May 30, 2025 | FMCSA

As part of the Trump Administration’s deregulatory program, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published some 20 regulatory provisions for amendment or withdrawal.  Some of the changes are administrative in nature and others would eliminate outdated requirements.

The list includes two final rules. The first removes the reference to rules under the Department of Transportation’s ‘‘Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Program’’ from the civil penalty schedule in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, because it was placed there by mistake (it makes no substantive change to the penalty provisions, which remain in effect).

The second final rule repeals the for-hire motor carrier routing regulations which concern servicing municipalities and unincorporated communities. These regulations are unlawful because they exceed FMCSA’s statutory authority following the transfer of rules from the Interstate Commerce Commission to the Federal Highway Administration in 1995, which were carried over to FMCSA in 2000.

The remaining 18 proposed rules include the following:

1. Revising the term ‘‘medical treatment’’ for the purpose of accident reporting to incorporate revised regulatory guidance previously issued by the agency regarding medical treatment away from the accident scene. The guidance, which would become part of the regulatory definition, states that an x-ray examination or other imaging, such as computed tomography (CT), is not considered medical treatment.
2. Allowing dual-status military technicians, regardless of whether they are members of either the Reserves or the National Guard, to qualify for the military exception from CDL training requirements.
3. Revising the requirement that motor carriers and intermodal equipment providers sign and return a completed roadside inspection form to the issuing State agency. Completed forms would only have to be returned to those States that request them.
4. Allowing a Daily Vehicle Inspection Report to be completed electronically.
5. Removing the requirement to keep a copy of the Electronic Logging Device operator’s manual in a commercial motor vehicle.
6. Adding an exception to the prohibition on gravity and syphon feeds for auxiliary pumps with a fuel tank capacity of less than 5 gallons mounted on the trailer chassis frame or trailer bed, for purposes other than operation of the motor vehicle, that are operational only when the motor vehicle is not in motion.
7. Adding an exception for portable conveyors used in aggregate industry operations, and manufactured before 2010, from the requirements that each commercial motor vehicle be equipped with brakes acting on all wheels, provided certain conditions are satisfied.
8. Rescinding the requirement that the rear impact guard be permanently marked or labeled with a certification from the impact guard manufacturer as required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
9. Removing the requirement that a liquid fuel tank be designed and constructed so that it cannot be filled, in a normal filling operation, with a quantity of fuel that exceeds 95 percent of the tank’s liquid capacity.
10. Providing an exception from the lamp and reflective device requirements for license plate lamps on the rear of truck tractors while towing a trailer.
11. Removing references to liquid-burning flares from the warning device requirements in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, as FMCSA believes these warning devices are no longer used.
12. Rescinding the requirements for retroreflective sheeting on semitrailers and trailers manufactured prior to December 1, 1993, which is the compliance date for NHTSA’s conspicuity rules applicable to trailer manufacturers. Virtually all semitrailers and trailers on the road have been manufactured after that date.
13. Clarifying that the tire requirements for CMVs do not require tire load restriction markings on their sidewalls.
14. Removing the requirement for CMVs to be equipped with at least one spare fuse for each type and size of fuse needed for the parts and accessories of the CMV.
15. Removing the grandfathering provision under the physical qualifications standards for interstate drivers operating under the previously administered vision waiver study program, as this regulation is now obsolete.
16. Amending the regulations related to driving a CMV at railroad grade crossings. Currently, drivers of certain CMVs (e.g., buses transporting passengers and CMVs transporting certain hazardous materials) are required to stop before crossing a railroad track unless an exception applies, such as when the crossing is controlled by a functioning highway traffic signal transmitting a green indication. The FMCSA proposes to add a similar exception for a railroad grade crossing equipped with an active warning device that is not in an activated state (e.g., flashing lights or crossing gates down, indicating the arrival of a train).
17. Removing all obsolete references to ‘‘water carriers’’ in the FMCSA regulations. FMCSA does not specifically regulate water carriers except to the extent that such carriers also engage in motor carrier operations.
18. Eliminating the requirement that CDL holders self-report motor vehicle violations to their State of domicile. With the implementation of the exclusive electronic exchange of violations between State drivers licensing agencies in 2024, self-reporting is no longer necessary.