Employers are required to provide employees who have engaged in prohibited conduct, as addressed in 49 CFR Part 382, Subpart B, with contact information for SAPs and counseling and treatment programs. [§382.605, Question 4]

Last Updated : May 20, 2015

Yes.  Unless you are an owner-operator employing yourself as the only driver [§382.603, Question 3], you must ensure that all supervisors that are designated to supervise CDL drivers undergo a one-time 2-hour training requirement.  The training, at minimum, must include at least 60 minutes of alcohol misuse training and 60 minutes of controlled substance use training, which enables supervisors to recognize signs of drug and alcohol use that support §382.307 reasonable suspicion testing.

Last Updated : May 20, 2015

No, an employer may not include non-CDL drivers in the DOT random testing pool. Please see 49 CFR § 40.347 (B) (2) The DOT and FMCSA drug and alcohol testing regulations apply to any person who operates a CMV, as defined in § 382.107, in intrastate or interstate commerce and is subject to the CDL requirements of 49 CFR Part 383,.  An employer may perform testing beyond that required by the DOT rules, but the employer may not represent such testing as a DOT test and must place non-DOT covered employee drug and alcohol testing in a pool that is completely separate from the DOT covered testing pool.  See §382.305 Question15.

Last Updated : May 20, 2015

The Custody and Control Form for a pre-employment DOT test mistakenly indicated that the test was conducted pursuant to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) authority. The form should have indicated that the employee was a CDL-driver, being tested pursuant to FMCSA authority. Does this procedural error require the employee to have another pre-employment drug/alcohol test?

No, the driver does not need to be retested.  So long as the driver was tested in accordance with Part 40 and the test did not contain any flaws addressed in §40.201 or §40.203, or the error does not have a significant adverse effect on the rights of the employee to have a fair and accurate test, a new test is not needed. [§40.209(b)(1)]

Last Updated : May 20, 2015

The rule applies to intermodal equipment providers (IEPs) and to motor carriers and drivers operating intermodal equipment (IME).

Last Updated : April 4, 2014

The only change is the addition of the MAP-21 definition for “covered farm vehicle” under 49 CFR 390.5. The definitions for “agricultural commodity” and “farm supplies for agricultural purposes” in § 395.2 were not amended by MAP-21. Source: 78 FR 16189, March 14, 2013.

Last Updated : May 8, 2014

For HMSP carriers with insufficient data to calculate a percentile in SMS - those who rarely undergo roadside inspections and have a safety rating over 4 years old - FMCSA will conduct comprehensive investigation to calculate a percentile in SMS during any month of the current 48-month period. 

Last Updated : July 29, 2015

• The FMCSA will work with its State and local partners to ensure they understand their enforcement authority against motor carriers and drivers that fail to abide by roadway signs
• The FMCSA will work with its State partners and the truck and bus industries to distribute the Agency’s visor card “GPS Selection Guide for CMVs”
• The Agency will also work with commercial driver training school associations to encourage them to include electronic navigation system selection information in their training programs.
• FMCSA will consider electronic navigation system selection as it prepares to move forward with the entry-level driver training rule required by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) reauthorization legislation

Last Updated : April 3, 2014

You must comply with the terms and conditions of the exemption. This information is provided to you.

Last Updated : April 1, 2014

Carriers will be required to:

• Maintain a "satisfactory" safety rating in order to obtain and hold a safety permit
• Maintain their crash rating, and their driver, vehicle, hazardous materials or out-of service rating so they are not in the worse 30 percent of the national average as indicated in FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS)
• Have a satisfactory security program (according to section 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart I) and associated training (according to section 49 CFR 172.704(a)(4) & (a)(5)) in place
• Maintain registration with PHMSA
• Develop a system of communication that will enable the vehicle operator to contact the motor carrier during the course of transportation and maintain records of these communications
• Have written route plan required for radioactive materials set forth in 49 CFR 397.101 and for explosives in Part 397.19 (currently required)
• Perform a pre-trip inspection (North American Standard (NAS) Level VI Inspection Program for Radioactive Shipments) for shipments containing highway route controlled Class 7 (radioactive) materials

There will be a process for issuing temporary safety permits, revoking and suspending a safety permit, and appealing decisions to suspend or revoke a safety permit.

Last Updated : April 15, 2014

• My mover is holding my shipment hostage for more money than he quoted me (in excess of 110% of non-binding estimate).
• My (interstate) mover/broker does not have the required authority from the FMCSA (unauthorized operations).
• My (interstate) mover/broker does not have the required insurance on file with the FMCSA (uninsured operations).
• My mover/broker failed to acknowledge, process and settle my loss and damage within 120 days of receipt.
• My mover/broker does not belong to a dispute settlement to handle loss and damage claims.
• My mover/broker failed to honor agreed pick-up and/or delivery dates without giving proper notice.

Primarily, the URS will unify registration data housed in multiple FMCSA systems into one authoritative database, thus reducing the possibility for conflicting registration data between FMCSA systems. The URS will streamline manual processes and combine several forms into one unified online registration form. This will save time and administrative costs for the industry and FMCSA.  This rule will also improve FMCSA's ability to locate small and medium-sized private and exempt for-hire motor carriers when enforcement action is necessary.  Working with designated process agents will help FMCSA investigators locate and/or serve documents on hard-to-find motor carriers. New carriers will not be granted safety registration and an active USDOT number until process agent filings (Form BOC-3) are complete.

For more information, please see the October 21, 2015 Federal Register notice.

On January 17, 2017, FMCSA published a Federal Register notice suspending the January 14 and April 14, 2017 URS effectiveness dates.

A carrier that furnishes false or misleading information, or conceals material information in connection with the registration process, is subject to the following actions:

• Revocation of safety registration
• Assessment of the civil and/or criminal penalties prescribed in 49 U.S.C. 521 and 49 U.S.C. Chapter 149

For more information on the New Entrant Program, click here.

A motor carrier operates commercial motor vehicles (CMV’s) to transport property, passengers, or hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and is involved in commerce (transportation related to a business). It could be a company with several power units, or it could be an owner-operator.

Note: CMVs include vehicles with Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR, which is the prescribed weight limit from the vehicle manufacturer, indicating the total amount the vehicle can weigh to operate safely) or Gross combination weight (GVW, which is the total weight of the truck, any trailers and cargo), of 10,001 pounds or more, whichever is greater.

A broker is the “middle person” between a shipper and a motor carrier. Brokers arrange for the transportation of property or household goods. They don’t transport the property, don’t operate motor vehicles or have drivers, and don’t assume responsibility for the cargo being transported. Hence, they don’t directly engage with it.

A freight forwarder organizes shipments for individuals or corporations. Freight forwarders assemble and consolidate shipments and provide for break-bulk and distribution of shipments. Unlike Brokers, Freight Forwarders assume responsibility for the transportation and may transport the freight itself. Therefore, they are involved directly or indirectly with the cargo.

Note: If you only transport Freight, you are not a Freight Forwarder.

To learn more about entity types, see our video ”How To Identify Entity Types”. Also located on the FMCSA Registration Home Page.

• “Interchange” means the act of providing intermodal equipment (IME) to a motor carrier pursuant to an IME interchange agreement for the purpose of transporting the equipment for loading or unloading by any person or repositioning the equipment for the benefit of the equipment provider. It does not include the leasing of equipment to a motor carrier for primary use in the motor carrier’s freight hauling operations
• “Intermodal equipment (IME)” means trailing equipment that is used in the intermodal transportation of containers over public highways in interstate commerce, mainly chassis, but also including trailers
• “Intermodal equipment interchange agreement” means the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement (UIIFA) or any other written document executed by an intermodal equipment provider (IEP) or its agent and a motor carrier or its agent, the primary purpose of which is to establish the responsibilities and liabilities of both parties with respect to the interchange of the IME
• “Intermodal equipment provider (IEP)” means any person that interchanges IME with a motor carrier pursuant to a written interchange agreement or has a contractual responsibility for the maintenance of the IME

Last Updated : April 7, 2014

The Medical Examiner must follow the standards found in 49 CFR 391.41. In the case of vision, hearing, epilepsy and diabetes requiring any use of insulin, the FMCSRs standards are absolute and allow no discretion by the Medical Examiner.
FMCSA also provides medical advisory criteria and medical guidelines to assist the Medical Examiner determine if a person is physically qualified to operate a commercial bus or truck. The Medical Examiner may or may not choose to use these guidelines. These guidelines are based on expert review and considered practice standards. The examiner should document the reason(s) for not following the guidelines.

Last Updated : April 1, 2014

The Hazardous Materials Safety Permit is only required for motor carriers. A motor carrier's HM Safety Permit-related responsibilities end when the material is transferred to the next mode.

Subsequently, permit-related responsibilities begin when the motor carrier assumes responsibility for the material.

In the case of the example, above, when the motor carrier has delivered the permitted load to the vessel operator's facility, then the motor carrier's permit-related responsibility ends.

Last Updated : April 14, 2014

Requirements

• Minimal connectivity upload/download: 1.5 Mbps (means Wifi, 4G, regular 3G)
• Maximal connectivity latency: 500ms
• Minimal supported resolution: Video resolution FullHD (1080 pixels * 1920 pixels)

Supported browsers

• Android: Chrome 60+, FireFox 79+, Opera 57+, Samsung Internet 9+, HuaweiBrowser 12+, Brave 110+, Edge 127+
• iOS: Safari 15+, Chrome 120+, FireFox 129+, Opera Touch 5+, Edge 125+

Non-Supported Software and Equipment

• Web Cams
• Laptops
• PCs
• QR Code Apps that perform a URL/website address precheck
   

Notes

• If the device has several back cameras, HuaweiBrowser and Opera are not supported on Android.
• Using Edge and Chrome on iOS generates a pop-up for a few seconds when the camera is opened. This may degrade the user experience by hiding part of the screen and possibly user instructions.
• Desktop (Windows, Mac OS, Linux): not supported

If you need further assistance, you may contact the FMCSA Contact Center online by submitting a ticket or calling 1-800-832-5660. 

• Suffixes will help easily identify entity type and/or registrations granted by FMCSA. Suffixes will be displayed in Motus for reference but will not be a vehicle marking requirement. Suffixes are as follows:
  • Property Carrier Operating Authority: C
  • Private Carrier: V
  • Passenger Operating Authority: P
  • Household Goods Carrier Operating Authority: H
  • Broker Operating Authority: B
  • Freight Forwarder Operating Authority: F
  • Enterprise Operating Authority: E
  • MX Long-Haul: X
  • MX Commercial Zone: Z
  • Non-North America Domiciled: N
  • Intrastate Carrier: R
  • Cargo Tank, Intermodal Equipment Provider, and Hazardous Materials entities do not have their own suffixes.

Failure to complete biennial updates to FMCSA will subject the entities to civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day with a maximum penalty of $10,000. Certain for-hire carriers of passengers and freight, freight forwarders, and brokers may be subject to additional civil penalties as authorized by 49 U.S.C. 14901(a). FMCSA may also deactivate the USDOT Number for any entity that fails to comply with the updating requirements.