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Drivers have been required to have a commercial driver's license (CDL) in order to drive certain commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) since April 1, 1992. The types of vehicles and operations requiring a CDL are outlined below. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has developed...
Driving a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) requires a higher level of knowledge, experience, skills, and physical abilities than that required to drive a non-commercial vehicle. In order to obtain a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), an applicant must pass both skills and knowledge...
FMCSA’s 2023 Pocket Guide to Large Truck and Bus Statistics highlights the Agency’s role in collecting and analyzing data on large trucks and buses. Intended as a compact reference, it is a compilation of statistics from the overall state of the industry to enforcement activity,...
The FMCSA and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) have published rules specifically prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers and drivers who transport...
FMCSA prepared a Final Environmental Assessment [Download PDF Version] for the 2011 Hours-of-Service (HOS) Final Rule that makes changes to the HOS regulations issued in 2008. The HOS regulations apply to operators of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and CMV drivers engaged in...
The Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) [Download PDF Version] provides an assessment of the costs and benefits of final rule changes in Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. The HOS regulations address...
The Secretary of the Department of Transportation receives the authority to regulate the transportation of hazardous materials from the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA), as amended and codified in 49 U.S.C. 5101 et seq. The Secretary is authorized to issue regulations to implement...
There are nearly 800,000 shipments of hazardous materials on U.S. highways each day. Safeguarding these shipments from possible terrorist use as weapons of mass destruction is the focus of the U.S. Department of Transportation-sponsored Hazardous Materials Safety and Security Operational...
Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the Department of Transportation was asked to identify areas within the transportation system that were vulnerable to terrorist attack. FMCSA conducted a field operational test (FOT) to quantify the security costs and...
In response to the terrorist atrocities committed against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and subsequent threats to the transportation system, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has initiated programs to protect the public from terrorists using...