Regulatory Update – December 22, 2023

December 22, 2023

Update on Relevant U.S. Regulations

FMCSA Requests Comments on Several ICRs
On Dec. 14, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published several notices requesting comments on the renewal of the following information collection requests (ICR):

  • Accident Recordkeeping Requirements – This ICR relates to agency requirements that motor carriers maintain a record of accidents involving their commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Comments are due by Jan. 16, 2024.
  • Inspection, Repair and Maintenance – This ICR concerns records of inspection, repair and maintenance of CMVs. Comments are due by Jan. 16, 2024.
  • Licensing Application for Motor Carrier Operating Authority – This ICR applies to: (1) existing registrants (i.e., entities that already have a USDOT number and/or operating authority) that are subject to FMCSA’s licensing, registration and certification regulations that wish to apply for additional authorities; and (2) Mexico-domiciled carriers that wish to operate beyond the U.S. municipalities on the U.S.-Mexico border and their commercial zones. Comments are due by Feb. 12, 2024.
  • Motor Carrier Records Change Form – The purpose of this ICR is to collect information required by the Office of Registration to process name changes, address changes and reinstatements of operating authority for motor carriers, freight forwarders and brokers. Comments are due by Feb. 12, 2024.

Update on Exemptions

CVSA Active Exemption Tracker
CVSA maintains a  issued by FMCSA. The exemption tracker can be found at www.cvsa.org under the “Inspections” tab at the top of the page.

CVSA Letters, Petitions and Comments to Rulemakings

CVSA Requests NTSB Close Recommendation Regarding Reporting of Safety Technology Failures
On Dec. 21, CVSA sent a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), requesting that they agency close recommendation H-22-009. The recommendation directed CVSA to inform its membership “about the importance of drivers reporting faults concerning advanced safety features, such as automatic emergency braking, in the optional section of the driver vehicle inspection report form (if they are not already identified on the form).” In the 2022 third quarter edition of Guardian magazine, CVSA’s cover article, entitled “Use It If You Have It: Maintaining Advanced Safety Systems is Essential,” speaks to the potential safety benefits of available safety technologies and discusses a number of challenges and issues, including the need to ensure that drivers are reporting faults related to safety technologies.

Other Items of Interest

FMCSA Reinstates POWERTRUCKS ELD to the List of Registered ELDs
On Dec. 15, FMCSA reinstated POWERTRUCKS ELD to the list of registered electronic logging devices (ELDs). Motor carriers and drivers may now use POWERTRUCKS ELD to record and transfer hours-of-service data.