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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
Must the State use the offense date or the conviction date to determine if two or more serious traffic *8472 convictions occurred within a 3-year period? FMCSA-CDL-383.51-GenQ09 Commercial Driver License Standards; Offense Date vs Conviction Date
Must the State use the date of conviction, rather than the offense date, to calculate the starting and ending dates for the driver disqualification period specified in § 383.51? FMCSA-CDL-383.51-Gen-Q08 Commercial Driver License Standards; Date of Conviction
May a State issue a “conditional,” “occupational” or “hardship” license that includes CDL driving privileges when a CDL holder loses driving privileges to operate a private passenger vehicle (non-CMV)? FMCSA-CDL-383.51-Gen-Q07 Commercial Driver License Standards; Hardship License CDL Privileges
If a CDL holder commits an offense that would normally be disqualifying, but the CDL holder is driving under the farm waiver in § 383.3(d)(1), must the conviction result in a disqualification and action against the CDL holder? FMCSA-CDL-383.51-Gen-Q05 Commercial Driver License Standards; Farm Waiver Disqualification
What is meant by leaving the scene of an accident involving a CMV? FMCSA-CDL-383.51-Gen-Q04 Commercial Driver License Standards; Leaving the Scene of an Accident
Section 383.51 of the FMCSRs disqualifies a driver if certain offenses were committed while operating a CMV. Will the States be required to identify on the motor vehicle driver’s record the class of vehicle being operated when a violation occurs? FMCSA-CDL-383.51-Gen-Q03 Commercial Driver License Standards; Driver Disqualifications
If an individual driver had two convictions for serious traffic violations while driving a CMV, and neither the FMCSA nor his/her State licensing agency took any disqualification action, does the motor carrier have any obligation under FMCSA regulations t FMCSA-CDL-383.37-Q1 Commercial Driver License Standards; Employer Notification Requirements
Is a driver who has a CDL and has been convicted of a felony disqualified from operating a CMV under the FMCSRs? FMCSA-CDL-383.37-Q2 Commercial Driver License Standards; Felony Conviction
Is a driver disqualified for driving a CMV while off-duty with a blood alcohol concentration over 0.04 percent? FMCSA-CDL-383.51-Alc-Q01 Commercial Driver License Standards; Alcohol-Related Disqualification
When a driver (a) receives an Administrative Order of Suspension due to a blood alcohol reading in excess of the legal limit with notice that the suspension is not to be effective until 45 days after the notice or after an administrative hearing, and (b) FMCSA-CDL-383.33-Q1 Commercial Driver License Standards; Administrative Order of Suspension