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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
I am a Mexican national and I have two companies, one domiciled in the U.S. and one domiciled in Mexico. Which applications do I need? FMCSA-BOR-REG-FAQ005 Registration requirement for Mexico-domiciled motor carriers
When operating in the United States, should a Canadian commercial driver continue to operate under the Canadian HOS regulations? FMCSA-BOR-HOS-395-FAQ001 Cross-border hours-of-service requirements
ELD FAQ 72: Canada & Mexico FAQ – Canada- US – Q2 FMCSA-HOS-ELD-395-FAQ72 ELD requirements for foreign-domiciled motor carriers
What happens if I operate in the without authority? FMCSA-BOR-REG-FAQ004 Registration requirement for Mexico-domiciled motor carriers
What are the requirements for driver to have in their possession in the CMV copies of their records of duty status when driving in Mexico and the United States? FMCSA-BOR-HOS-395-FAQ006 Cross-border hours-of-service requirements-key differences
How long does it take to get an MX number, Certificate of Registration and USDOT Number? FMCSA-BOR-REG-FAQ003 Registration requirement for Mexico-domiciled motor carriers
My certificate of registration says I can carry exempt commodities. What are exempt commodities? FMCSA-BOR-MX-FAQ002 Registration requirement for Mexico-domiciled motor carriers
Do Canada and the United States have similar HOS regulations regarding 30-minute break periods? FMCSA-BOR-HOS-395-FAQ009 Cross-border hours-of-service requirements
Can a Canada/Mexico-domiciled motor carrier’s driver manually enter the vehicle identification number (VIN) for the power unit if the ELD is unable to automatically retrieve the VIN from the engine? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ73(2018-03-05)-CORR1 ELD requirements for foreign-domiciled motor carriers
After FMCSA completes a PASA and the applicant has passed the PASA, what will happen next? FMCSA-BOR-MX LONG-HAUL-FAQ006