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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
Do telephone calls to or from the motor carrier that momentarily interrupt a driver’s rest period constitute a change of the driver’s duty status? FMCSA-HOS-395.2-Q05 Hours of Service Definitions
Are vacuum gauges required on the vacuum portion of vacuum-assisted hydraulic brakes? FMCSA-VEH-393.51-Q03 Do vacuum-assisted hydraulic brake need a gauge on the vacuum portion?
The driver has logged one or more 13-hour driving periods while in Canada during the previous 7 days, but has complied with all the FMCSRs while operating in the U.S. Has the driver violated the 11-hour driving requirement in the U.S.? FMCSA-HOS-395.3-Q04 Hours of Service Maximum Driving Time
Question 1: If a DVIR does not indicate that certain defects have been repaired, and the motor carrier has not certified in writing that such repairs were considered unnecessary, may the driver refuse to operate the motor vehicle? FMCSA-VM-396.13-Q1.cm Prohibition to operate vehicle without certification of repairs
Can a CMV with tires marked “Not for Highway Use” meet the periodic inspection requirements? FMCSA-VM-396.17-Q07.cm
Question 1: May an entity other than a motor carrier maintain the evidence of inspector qualifications required by § 396.19(b)? FMCSA-VM-396.19-Q01 May a garage maintain evidence of inspector qualifications
Do the definitions of "farm", "farmer" and "agricultural crops" apply to greenhouse operations? FMCSA-RG-390.5T-Q001 Applicability of farm-related definitions to greenhouse operations
What types of equipment are included in the category of off-road motorized construction equipment? FMCSA-RG-390.5T-Q008 Meaning of “off-road motorized construction equipment”
If a high-profile COE truck or truck-tractor is equipped with a seat on the passenger’s side, must steps and handholds be provided for any person entering or exiting on that side of the vehicle? FMCSA-RG-399.207-FAQ01 Access requirements for truck and truck-tractor cabs
Once an employee is randomly tested during a calendar year, is his/her name removed from the pool of names for the calendar year? FMCSA-D&A-382.305-Q06 Guidance that the names of drivers tested earlier in the year must be returned to the pool for each new selection