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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
If a motor carriers sends a potential interstate driver to a medical examiner to have both a pre-employment medical examination and a pre-employment controlled substances test performed, how must the medical examiner conduct the medical examination ... FMCSA-MED-391.43-Q7 Drug Testing and Driver Physical Qualification Examination
What determines the level of coverage required for a passenger carrier: the number of passengers or the number of seats in the vehicle? FMCSA-INS-387.27-Q002(2020-02-28)-CORR1 How passenger carrier financial responsibility requirements are determined
When an interstate tow truck operator responds to a request for assistance from a Federal, State or local police officer to move wrecked or disabled motor vehicles, what should the Record of Duty Status (RODS) required by Section 395.8 reflect for the tim FMCSA-RG-390.23-Q005 RODS entry for tow trucks responding to police call
Question 1: Is §392.10(a)(4) applicable to drivers operating cargo tank vehicles that were used to transport hazardous materials for which placarding or marking was required, but are no longer required because the cargo tank has been emptied, or the quant FMCSA-DRV-392.10-Q001 Railroad crossings
Section § 387.3: Applicability FMCSA-INS-387.3-Q004 Applicability of Financial Responsibility Requirements to Government Entities
Part 387 Section § 387.9: Financial responsibility, minimum levels. FMCSA-INS-387.9-Q005 Insurance requirements for a motor carrier operating a tube trailer where the cylinders are manifolded together
Part 387 Section § 387.39: Forms. FMCSA-INS-387.39-Q001 Aggregation of insurance to meet financial responsibility requirements
Would a driver delivering an empty commercial motor vehicle designed or used to carry passengers, from the manufacturer or distributor to a dealer be required to comply with the hours-of-service regulations for passenger-carrying drivers? FMCSA-HOS-395.5-Q01 Hours of Service Maximum Driving Time
Upon termination of direct assistance to a regional or local emergency relief effort, as specified in § 390.23(a), may utility company line crews return directly to the motor carrier’s terminal or the driver’s normal work reporting location without comply FMCSA-RG-390.23-FAQ004 Are utility service vehicles exempt while returning after emergency relief?
Part 387 Section § 387.27: Applicability. FMCSA-INS-387.27-Q006 Applicability of Financial Responsibility regulations to school buses used by the federal government of Mexico