USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

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
How may a driver utilize the adverse driving conditions exception or the emergency conditions exception as found in §395.1(b), to preclude an hours of service violation? FMCSA-HOS-395.1-Q05 Hours of Service Exemptions
Is it permissible to combine the drivers from the subsidiaries of a parent employer into one pool, with the parent employer acting as a consortium? FMCSA-D&A-382.305-Q13 Guidance on combining the drivers from the subsidiaries of a parent employer into one random pool
Within 14 days of first using a driver to perform safety-sensitive functions, an employer discovers that a driver had a positive controlled substances and/or 0.04 alcohol concentration test result within the previous two years. FMCSA-D&A-382.413-Q02 Drug & Alcohol Testing – Positive Test Result Information from Previous Employer
How must a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver operating a non-CMV at the direction of a motor carrier record this time? FMCSA-HOS-395.2-Q14 Regulations
Do retractable or lift axles have to be equipped with brakes? FMCSA-VEH-393.42-Q01 Must lift axles have brakes?
May a triangular-shaped flag or device be used by itself to mark an oversized load? FMCSA-VEH-393.87-Q01 Triangular flag to mark oversized load
Driver vehicle inspection reports FMCSA-VM-396.11-Q012 Driver vehicle inspection reports
How should a change of duty status for a short period of time be shown on the driver’s record of duty status? FMCSA-HOS-395.8-Q01 Hours of Service Records of Duty Status
Are drivers required to include their total on-duty time for the previous 7 to 8 days (as applicable) on the driver’s record of duty status? FMCSA-HOS-395.8-Q16 Hours of Service Records of Duty Status
When must a driver complete the signature/certification of the driver’s record of duty status? FMCSA-HOS-395.8-Q24 certification of RODS