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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
May a large corporation which has many wholly owned subsidiaries have one policy for the parent corporation and maintain the policy and the Form MCS-90 at the corporate headquarters? FMCSA-INS-387.7-Q001 Need for large corporation with many subsidiaries to have more than one insurance policy
Are luxury limousines with a seating capacity of fewer than seven passengers and not operated on a regular route or between specified points exempted under §387.27(b)(2)? FMCSA-INS-387.27-Q003 Financial Responsibility Requirements for certain luxury limousine service
What is considered a ‘‘public road?” FMCSA-RG-390.5T-Q026 What is a “public road”
When a motor carrier purchases another motor carrier, must the drivers of the acquired motor carrier be requalified by the purchasing motor carrier? FMCSA-DQ-391.51-Q001 Driver qualification files
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
May an employer use the results of another program in which a driver participates to satisfy random testing requirements if the driver is used by the employer only occasionally? FMCSA-D&A-382.305-Q05 Using another’s program to satisfy random testing requirements
If a driver invokes the exception for adverse driving conditions, does a supervisor need to sign the driver’s record of duty status when he/she arrives at the destination? FMCSA-HOS-395-Q02 Hours of Service Exception
Question 9: Is an employer obligated to return an employee to safety-sensitive duty following the SAP's finding during the follow-up evaluation that the employee has demonstrated successful compliance with the treatment recommendation? FMCSA-D&A-382.605-Q09 Drug & Alcohol Testing – Employee’s Compliance with Treatment Recommendation
The definition of a passenger CMV is a vehicle ‘‘designed to transport’’ more than 15 passengers, including the driver. Does that include standing passengers if the vehicle was specifically designed to accommodate standees? FMCSA-RG-390.5T-Q025 Does passenger capacity include standing passengers
Footnote 5, requires that each converter dolly be equipped with turn signals at the rear FMCSA-VEH-393.11-Q03 Turn signals at the rear of converter dolly