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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
Section § 387.3: Applicability FMCSA-INS-387.3-Q004 Applicability of Financial Responsibility Requirements to Government Entities
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
If a vehicle’s GVWR plate and/or VIN number are missing but its actual gross weight is 10,001 pounds or more, may an enforcement officer use the latter instead of GVWR to determine the applicability of the FMCSRs? FMCSA-RG-390.5T-Q003 Use of actual GVW when GVWR and/or VIN plate missing
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
(FMCSA-D&A-CLEAR-382.711-FAQ004) FMCSA-D&A-CLEAR-382.711-FAQ004 Guidance on Staffing Agency registration in the Clearinghouse
Which drivers are to be included in a alcohol and controlled substances testing program under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) rule? FMCSA-D&A-382.103-Q07 Applicability of drug and alcohol testing requirements to drivers operating CMVs in commerce
Should a medical review officer (MRO) report a negative-dilute test result in the Clearinghouse? FMCSA-D&A-CLEAR-382.705-FAQ015 Guidance Clarifying that a negative-dilute RTD result should be reported as “negative”
How are bulk queries processed? FMCSA-D&A-CLEAR-382-FAQ006 Guidance on Bulk Query Processing
Can an employer, consortium/third-party administrator (C/TPA), or medical review officer (MRO) modify or delete violation information they have reported? FMCSA-D&A-CLEAR-382.705-FAQ006 Clearinghouse FAQ
How can I track the progress of my bulk queries? FMCSA-D&A-CLEAR-382-FAQ007 Guidance on Bulk Query Tracking