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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
§385.1 Who must hold a safety permit. FMCSA-HMSP-385.403-Q001 Hazardous Materials Safety Permits
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?
Does § 390.23 create an exemption from the FMCSRs each and every time the delivery of electricity is interrupted, no matter how isolated or minor the occurrence? FMCSA-RG.390.23-Q001 Applicability of emergency exception to electrical outages
Does the emergency conditions exception in 49 CFR 395.1(b)(2) apply to a driver who planned on arriving at a specific rest area to complete his 11 hours driving and found the rest area full, forcing the driver to continue past the 11 hours driving looking FMCSA-HOS-395.1-FAQ28 Hours of Service Exceptions
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
If a driver was grandfathered from the skills test when he or she obtained a CDL, may an employer forego the administration of a road test as required by §391.31? FMCSA-DQ-391.33-Q001 Road test equivalent
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
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
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 a motor carrier create an accident register of its own, or is there a specified form that must be used? FMCSA-RG-390.15-Q001 Format of accident register