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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
When calculating the minimum emergency exit space required on school buses used in non-school bus operations, should two or three passengers per bench seat be used in determining the adult seating capacity? FMCSA-VEH-393.62-Q02 Seating capacity of school buses used for adults
Does § 393.104(b) require that securement devices be marked or labeled with their working load limit or any other information? FMCSA-VEH-393.104-Q02 Marking of securement devices with working load limits
Do community lectures and self-help groups qualify as education and/or treatment? FMCSA-D&A-382.605-Q6 Community Groups and Self-Help as Treatment
Question 25: Section 396.11 requires the driver, at the completion of each day’s work, to prepare a written report on each vehicle operated that day. Does this section require a ‘‘post trip inspection’’ of the kind described in § 396.15? FMCSA-VM-396.11-Q025 Driver vehicle inspection reports
Are drivers required to draw continuous lines between the off-duty, sleeper berth, driving, and on-duty (not driving) lines on a record of duty status when changing their duty status? FMCSA-HOS-395.8-Q13 Hours of Service Records of Duty Status
When must a contract school bus operator comply with part 387? FMCSA-INS-387.27-Q004 Contract school bus operator compliance with Part 387 Subpart B
May drivers be coerced into employing loading or unloading assistance (lumpers)? FMCSA-RG-390.3T-Q015 Prohibition on coercion to use lumpers
To what extent must a motor carrier review a driver’s overall driving record to comply with the requirements of § 391.25? FMCSA-DQ-391.25-Q001-RESCINDED Driving record annual inquiry
Question 1: Does §392.60 require a driver to carry a copy of the written authorization (required to transport passengers) on board a CMV? FMCSA-DRV-392.60-Q001 Transportation of unauthorized persons
If a vehicle with a manufacturer’s GVWR of less than 10,001 pounds has been structurally modified to carry a heavier load, may an enforcement officer use the higher actual gross weight of the vehicle, instead of the GVWR, to determine the applicability of FMCSA-RG-390.5T-Q004 Applicability of FMCSRs to vehicle modified to carry heavier loads