FMCSA

When Health Becomes Highway Hazard

When a commercial truck crashed into a house in New Jersey this week, the company’s owner attributed the crash to a medical emergency. There were no fatalities, but what about next time? In short, “it happens,” and this disturbingly common phrase in trucking exemplifies the very state of highways in the U.S. today.

That crash wasn’t bad luck. It was a symptom of something deeper: driver health. The trucking industry’s refusal to treat driver health as a foundational part of fleet safety is a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/when-health-becomes-highway-hazard

What Fleets Need to Know About FMCSA Compliance Reviews in 2025

Ask any fleet manager or consultant, and they’ll tell you that when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration initiates a compliance review, it’s a full-body scan of your operation that starts long before the auditor walks through your door.

In most cases, you’ll get a notice via email or mail that your company has been selected for a compliance review (CR). This could stem from a poor Inspection Selection System score, a recent crash, BASIC alerts in the Safety Measurement System (SMS), a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-fleets-need-to-know-about-fmcsa-compliance-reviews-in-2025

How to Pass a DOT Audit in 2025 Without Losing Sleep

Fleet compliance is like a diet; it has to be a lifestyle change. It has to be consistent over time. When it’s not, it fails, and those failures can have serious effects on your business. One of those effects might be a compliance review, aka, an audit. For small fleet owners, owner-operators and trucking managers, a DOT audit can feel daunting and threaten their business and livelihood. Whether you run a single truck or manage a small fleet, preparing for an FMCSA compliance review or DOT...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-to-pass-a-dot-audit-in-2025-without-losing-sleep

FMCSA Rule Updates for 2025 and What Fleets Need to Know

As the trucking industry rolls into 2025, fleets face regulatory changes that could significantly impact their operations. From eliminating Motor Carrier (MC) numbers to establishing new requirements for driver qualifications, understanding these changes is crucial for maintaining compliance and ensuring smooth operations.

Elimination of MC Numbers

Effective Oct. 1, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will discontinue using MC numbers and consolidate carrier identification under USDOT...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-rule-updates-for-2025-and-what-fleets-need-to-know

Is English proficiency enforcement the right focus for safer roads?

In a controversial return to past policy, the Trump administration and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy have reestablished lack of English language proficiency (ELP) as an out-of-service (OOS) violation for commercial drivers. 

“My Administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others, including by upholding the safety enforcement regulations that ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/is-english-proficiency-enforcement-the-right-focus-for-safer-roads

Addressing the CDL issue takes cooperative regulation and multigroup efforts

Parts 1 and 2 of this series looked at legislative and law enforcement efforts in Arkansas and Texas to grapple with a sharp rise in CDL fraud by non-U.S. citizens. Part 3 looks at the ease with which fraudsters have exploited a loophole to obtain a Mexican document that essentially grants them the privileges of a U.S. CDL holder. 

NAFTA and its CDL ties that bind us

How did we get here? For that I needed a digital issue of the Texas Trucking Association magazine, The Steering Wheel, and more...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/addressing-the-cdl-issue-takes-cooperative-regulation-and-multigroup-efforts

What a Level 1 Inspection Looks Like (And How to Pass)

Sometimes it’s easier to avoid a roadside inspection than to survive one. And I don’t mean ducking scales or pulling illegal U-turns, I mean giving inspectors no reason to stop you in the first place. A clean truck, proper paperwork and professional presence go further than most realize when it comes to passing, or avoiding, enforcement during CVSA blitzes.

Next week, from May 14-16, the annual CVSA International Roadcheck begins. Thousands of inspectors across the U.S., Canada and Mexico will...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-a-level-1-inspection-looks-like-and-how-to-pass

Trump’s Executive Order For Trucking Revives a Rule Nearly 90 Years Old

In 2025, the national conversation around English proficiency and trucking safety resurfaced with new intensity. Two executive orders, signed by President Donald Trump, renewed emphasis on English language requirements, both at a cultural level and at the level of commercial motor vehicle operations.

On March 1, an executive order formally designated English as the official language of the United States. It revoked Executive Order 13166, which had promoted multilingual government services since...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trumps-executive-order-for-trucking-revives-a-rule-nearly-90-years-old

VIDEO: Drivers voice frustrations with FMCSA enforcement

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Pressing regulatory concerns, including English proficiency requirements for drivers and the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs to asylum-seekers, took center stage Thursday during the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration leadership meeting at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS).

Attendees voiced frustration over enforcement inconsistencies and the perceived lack of clear policy direction. Those issues, along with broader discussions on regulatory fairness, fraud prevention...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/video-drivers-voice-frustrations-with-fmcsa-enforcement

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