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Regulatory Guidance

Welcome to the FMCSA Guidance Portal. This web portal is a searchable, indexed database that contains and links to all guidance documents in effect from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The guidance documents lack the force and effect of law, unless expressly authorized by statute or incorporated into a contract.

To comment on any guidance document, or to request issuance, reconsideration, modification, or rescission of any guidance document, please identify the guidance document in your request and send it to: FMCSAguidance@dot.gov. NOTE: The FMCSAguidance mailbox is not intended to serve as a mailbox for general inquiries. For inquiries that go beyond the limited purpose of the FMCSAguidance mailbox, please call FMCSA's Information Line (800-832-5660) or visit FMCSA's "Contact Us" page to send your inquiry to the appropriate mailbox.

Subject Agency Identifier Topic Issued Date
Hours of Service for Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers; Regulatory Guidance Concerning Off-Duty Time. FMCSA-FR-78FR41852-2013.07.12 Recording Off-duty status as part of HOS compliance
Regulatory Guidance on the Applicability of Property-Carrier Hours-of-Service Rules to the Driveaway Operation of Vehicles Designed to Transport Passengers FMCSA-FR-7733331.2012.06.06 Applicability of Hours of Service Regulations – Driveaway-Towaway
Application of Exceptions FMCSA-FR-77FR33098.2012.06.05 Application of Exceptions
Are drivers who electronically scan a copy of their original record of duty status (RODS) for subsequent submission to the motor carrier required to prepare the RODS in duplicate? FMCSA-HOS-395.8-Q29 Recordkeeping requirements for electronic copies of RODS
Regulatory Guidance on entering Data into an Automatic On-Board Recording Device While Commercial Motor Vehicle is in Motion, 77 FR 30921 FMCSA-FR-77FR30921.2012.05.24 HOS – Drivers’ RODs – Record Retention
What location may a motor carrier designate as its "principal place of business?" FMCSA-RG-390.5T-Q031 Designation of “principal place of business”
What location may a motor carrier designate as its "principal place of business?" FMCSA-RG-390.5T-Q031 Designation of “principal place of business”
49 CFR § 390.3T General Applicability Question 24 FMCSA-RG-390.3T-Q024 FMCSA jurisdiction over drivers operating only occasionally in interstate commerce
May a motor carrier return a driver’s completed record of duty status to the driver for correction of inaccurate or incomplete entries? FMCSA-HOS-395.8-Q08 Hours of Service Records of Duty Status
What is considered “oilfield equipment” for the purposes of 395.1(d)(1)? FMCSA-HOS-395.1-Q07 Hours of Service Exceptions