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Highlights of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Marking Final Rule

  1. Eliminates the marking regulations of the former Interstate Commerce Commission.
  2. Requires all interstate motor carriers to display the USDOT number.
  3. Requires that CMVs be marked with the legal name, or a single trade name, of the business entity that owns or controls the motor carrier operation. This information must match the information on the motor carrier’s Form MCS-150: PDF or HTML.
  4. Motor carriers that are currently displaying an ICC-MC number will be allowed two years to comply with the requirement to affix the USDOT number to both sides of the CMVs that they currently have in service. New and repainted CMVs must be properly marked when they are placed in service.
  5. Motor carriers will be allowed five years to comply with the additional requirements to display the legal name or single trade name on their CMVs currently in service.
  6. **All new interstate motor carriers will be required to submit a MCS-150: PDF or HTML to the FMCSA before (rather than within 90 days after) commencing operations.
  7. The actual printed MCS-150 will be removed from the FMCSRs. The FMCSRs will state how to obtain the form (FMCSA Service Centers, Division Offices, Internet site, 800 number).
  8. Single trade name: The FMCSA will consider requests for assignment of individual USDOT numbers to corporate divisions on a case-by-case basis. Although the FMCSA does not wish to limit an organization’s flexibility or its ability to promote a trade name, the agency must still consider whether the assignment of multiple USDOT numbers to a single corporate entity would compromise the integrity of the collection and processing of safety data.
  9. Principal place of business address: The final rule does not require the motor carrier to mark its motor vehicles with the city and state. It does not prohibit this practice, either.
  10. Driveaway provision: The requirements of §390.407 concerning removable marking devices will be retained and incorporated into §390.21.

**Special notes for new motor carriers:

If a motor carrier began operations PRIOR TO the effective date, they are subject to the current rule – that is, they have 90 days to submit their MCS-150.

If a motor carrier begins its operations ON OR AFTER the effective date, they are subject to the new rule – they must file their MCS-150 before starting operations. They must also mark the power units of their CMVs before they put them into service and operate them on public highways.

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