 On July 6, 2012, President Obama signed into law a new two year transportation reauthorization bill, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act ("MAP-21"; P.L. 112-141). This new law includes many important provisions intended to help the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in its important mission to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. Many of the provisions in MAP-21 track the Agency's strategic framework to improve commercial motor vehicle safety by supporting its three core principles: - Raise the bar to enter the industry and operate on our roads;
- Hold motor carrier and drivers to the highest safety standards to continue operations; and
- Remove the highest risk drivers, vehicles, and carriers from our roads and prevent them from operating.
MAP-21 takes effect October 1, 2012. The new law provides $561 million in fiscal year (FY) 2013 and $572 million in FY 2014 for the Agency's administrative expenses and grant programs. The Agency is beginning to reach out to stakeholders as it continues to implement this law and invites your feedback. Please email your comments to fmcsamap21@dot.gov.
Updates
May 10, 2013
FMCSA announced today a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to allow State and Federal enforcement officials to easily share and view the most current and accurate information about a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver's medical certification status. The proposed rule would require certified medical examiners (MEs) performing physical examinations on drivers of CMVs to use a newly developed Medical Examination Report (MER) form, and to use a new form for the medical examiner's certificate (MEC). In addition, the Certified Medical Examiners would be required to report results of all completed commercial drivers' physical examinations (including the results of examinations where the driver was found not to be qualified) to FMCSA by close of business on the day of the examination using the new form. The FMCSA would make the MEC information for interstate commercial driver's license (CDL) holders available to the State driver licensing agencies as part of the integration of the medical certification and CDL issuance and renewal process. This NPRM is a follow-on rule to the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners published on April 20, 2012 and the Medical Certification Requirements as part of the CDL rule published on December 1, 2008. Comments on the proposed rule should be submitted by July 9, 2013. For more information, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov.
March 13, 2013
The "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act" (MAP-21) includes statutory exemptions to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
(FMCSRs) for the "transportation of agricultural commodities and farm supplies" and for "covered farm vehicles" and their drivers. On October 1, 2012, the effective date of MAP-21, FMCSA published a notice in the Federal Register informing the enforcement community and industry about these exemptions. The final rule, which formally revises the FMCSRs, is effective upon publication in the Federal Register on March 14. Although prior statutory exemptions involving agriculture are unchanged, some of them overlap with MAP-21 provisions. In these cases, regulated entities will be able to choose the exemption, or set of exemptions, under which to operate.
They must, however, comply fully with the terms of each exemption they claim. Below are questions and answers related to the final rule.
February 6, 2013
The provisions in MAP-21 enhance the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's ability to obtain compliance with the consumer protection regulations. In an effort to provide clarity on some of the provisions in MAP-21, the administration has developed a set of questions and answers to clarify regulatory requirements for brokers and freight forwarders. These questions and answers will address changes in consumer protection requirements that impact registration, financial security, and freight interlining operations.
January 22, 2013 On October 1, 2012, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a Federal Register notice [77 FR 59840] informing motor carriers and enforcement officials of two statutory exemptions in MAP-21 that took effect on October 1, 2012,for certain motor carriers transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies.
Since that time, FMCSA has received numerous inquiries from enforcement officials and motor carriers looking for answers to specific questions. Below FMCSA has compiled a list of those questions and answers, and is sharing them to expand knowledge among the enforcement and agriculture communities. Nothing contained below is meant to expand or limit the statutory exemptions. It is provided simply as answers to questions the Agency has received.
September 28, 2012The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration kicked off its MAP-21 stakeholder engagement by listening to the people representing a broad cross-section of organizations most closely involved in commercial motor vehicle safety, including industry leaders, associations, safety advocates, and other key stakeholders. Administrator Ferro provided an overview of the MAP-21 implementation and explained how it aligns with FMCSA's safety priorities and gives the Agency important new enforcement tools to fulfill its mission of preventing crashes and saving lives. Use the following link to view the presentation. September 27, 2012The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published in the Federal Register a notice alerting motor carriers and enforcement officials of two statutory exemptions in MAP-21 for certain motor carriers transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies that takes effect on October 1. Section 32101 of MAP-21 provides a statutory exemption from the hours-of-service regulations for certain carriers transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies and Section 32934 provides a statutory exemption from most of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for the operation of covered farm vehicles by farm and ranch operators, their employees, and certain other specified individuals under certain specific circumstances. This notice is part of the Department of Transportation's ongoing efforts to provide relief for the Nation's farmers struggling through this year's drought and continues the Department's work to implement MAP-21.
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