🚗Proposed Changes to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
NHTSA is proposing to remove obsolete directives from the phase-in reporting requirements in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 304.
Learn More🚛Proposed Rule for Rescinding Trailer Retrofitting Requirements
FMCSA proposes to rescind the requirements for retroreflective sheeting on semitrailers and trailers manufactured prior to December 1, 1993, which is the compliance date for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) conspicuity rules applicable to trailer manufacturers. The retrofitting requirements were adopted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on March 31, 1999, and require that motor carriers engaged in interstate commerce install retroreflective tape or reflex reflectors on the sides and rear of semitrailers and trailers that were manufactured prior to December 1, 1993, have an overall width of 2,032 mm (80 inches) or more, and a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more. With the passage of more than 30 years since the NHTSA requirements were implemented, FMCSA believes the vast majority of trailers currently in use on the Nation's highways were manufactured after 1993 so the retrofitting rule is no longer necessary. This proposal would eliminate obsolete regulatory text without compromising safety.
Learn More🚌FMCSA Proposes Removal of Obsolete Water Carrier References
FMCSA proposes to remove all obsolete references to "water carriers" in the FMCSA regulations (FMCSRs). FMCSA does not specifically regulate water carriers except to the extent that such carriers also engage in motor carrier operations. In such cases, the existing FMCSRs provide appropriate coverage of the carrier's motor carrier operations.
Learn More🚗Proposed Regulatory Changes to FMVSS No. 210 by NHTSA
NHTSA is proposing to remove unnecessary regulatory text from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 210, Seat belt assembly anchorages.
Learn More🚗Proposed Amendments to Child Restraint Safety Standards
This document proposes amendments to the safety standards for child restraint systems (CRSs). NHTSA is proposing to amend FMVSS No. 213a, "Child restraint systems--side impact protection," to exempt school bus CRSs from the standard's requirements as long as they meet specified labeling requirements; to delay the compliance date from June 30, 2025 to December 5, 2026; to provide that the Child Restraint Air Bag Interaction twelve-month-old (CRABI-12MO) test dummy will not be used to test forward-facing CRSs; and to amend the positioning procedures for that dummy. The first two of these amendments are in response to petitions from CRS manufacturers. NHTSA is also proposing to amend FMVSS No. 213, "Child restraint systems" and FMVSS No. 213b, "Child restraint systems; Mandatory applicability beginning December 5, 2026," to exclude school bus CRSs from the requirements to provide attachments for connection to the vehicle's child restraint anchorage system and to change certain labeling requirements to reflect how school bus child restraints are used.
Learn More⛽Proposed Changes to Fuel Tank Overfill Regulations by FMCSA
FMCSA proposes to remove the requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that a liquid fuel tank manufactured on or after January 1, 1973, be designed and constructed so that it cannot be filled, in a normal filling operation, with a quantity of fuel that exceeds 95 percent of the tank's liquid capacity. This proposal is in response to a petition for rulemaking from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). The proposed change would remove an unnecessary and outdated requirement from the FMCSRs.
Learn More🚗New Compliance Requirements for Hydrogen Vehicle Safety Standards
This final rule establishes two new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) specifying performance requirements for all motor vehicles that use hydrogen as a fuel source. The final rule is based on Global Technical Regulation (GTR) No. 13, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicles. FMVSS No. 307, "Fuel system integrity of hydrogen vehicles," specifies requirements for the integrity of the fuel system in hydrogen vehicles during normal vehicle operations and after crashes. FMVSS No. 308, "Compressed hydrogen storage system integrity," specifies requirements for the compressed hydrogen storage system to ensure the safe storage of hydrogen onboard vehicles. These two standards will reduce deaths and injuries from fires due to hydrogen fuel leakages and/or explosion of the hydrogen storage system.
Learn More🚗New Regulatory Framework for ADS and Vehicle Safety by NHTSA
This document proposes a voluntary framework for the evaluation and oversight of motor vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS). The ADS-equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program (AV STEP) would establish a national program for ADS-equipped vehicles that operate or may operate on public roads in the United States under NHTSA's oversight with the goal of improving public transparency related to the safety of certain ADS-equipped vehicles, while allowing for responsible development of this technology. This proposal includes procedures for application, participation, public reporting, and program administration. It identifies content requirements for applications, including independent assessments of ADS safety processes, such as the safety cases used and conformance to industry standards. These application requirements will inform NHTSA's decisions on terms and conditions for participation. The proposal also contains reporting requirements for participants, including periodic and event-triggered reporting.
Learn More🚛Implications of New FMCSA Regulations for Motor Carriers and Brokers
In a final rule published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2024, FMCSA amended its regulations by making technical corrections throughout the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). The final rule included an amendatory instruction to revise a stayed section without first lifting the stay. The final rule also included an amendatory instruction which referenced an incorrect paragraph letter. The Agency corrects these errors.
Learn More💼2025 Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment - Labor Impact
The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) is publishing this final rule to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the Department, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act). The Inflation Adjustment Act requires the Department to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. The Inflation Adjustment Act provides that agencies shall adjust civil monetary penalties notwithstanding section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Additionally, the Inflation Adjustment Act provides a cost- of-living formula for adjustment of the civil penalties. Accordingly, this final rule sets forth the Department's 2025 annual adjustments for inflation to its civil monetary penalties.
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