The Chartwell Chronicles: Trucking
The Increasing Visibility of Driver Health
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has published regulations overhauling and expanding its regulated employee testing program to include oral fluids drug tests. The new regulations, which update 49 C.F.R. Part 40...more
On February 1, 2023, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) restarted the process it began in 2017, requesting comments from stakeholders in a supplemental advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (SANPRM)...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency of the Department of Transportation (DOT), today published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) (FMCSA–2022–0028), that would maintain...more
Employers with light fleets, non-owned fleets, and fleets regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT) all have commercial auto liability exposure. However, with the increase in large verdicts in recent years,...more
In 2019, the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) issued final regulations that changed requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers’ rest and break times. The new rules said that if a driver was behind the wheel...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) historically has been less prone to large shifts in policy between presidential administrations. Although President Donald Trump and President-Elect Joe Biden each nominated a...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an order this week that Washington State’s meal and rest break rules are preempted as applied to property-carrying commercial...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced on March 13, 2020, that, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, exemptions for some regulations were warranted for certain motor...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued guidance on March 24, 2020 to address potential disruptions to mandated drug and alcohol testing during the COVID-19 crisis. The FMCSA...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy Compliance issued guidance on March 23, 2020 to provide clarity with respect to existing requirements for DOT-mandated drug and alcohol testing during...more
On March 13, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier and Safety Administration (FMCSA) of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced and issued a national emergency declaration (Emergency Declaration) establishing...more
The use of CBD (Cannabidiol) products has become very popular throughout the country. In addition, the laws relating to use of hemp plant products are rapidly evolving. As a result, the United States Department of...more
In the wake of the impeachment proceedings, the State of the Union, the Administration’s budget proposal, and the initial rounds of the battle to see who gets the Democratic Presidential nomination, it’s been pretty quiet on...more
Employers of drivers who hold commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) have been subject to U.S. Department of Transportation drug and alcohol testing requirements for over twenty-five years....more
In 2012, Congress passed and President Obama signed the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act,” a transportation reauthorization bill referred to as “MAP-21.”...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently rolled out Our Roads, Our Safety, a national safety campaign to raise awareness about sharing the road safely with large trucks and buses....more
The trucking industry is closely tied to the automotive industry. The trucking industry transports vast quantities of raw materials for use by automotive companies in their manufacturing, and is also a significant consumer...more
There are federal regulations in place for truck safety, but they can’t prevent tragic accidents. Legislation related to the trucking industry is implemented and enforced by three major agencies of the U.S. Department of...more
In response to complaints from the trucking industry, on August 14 the federal Department of Transportation proposed new rules that would give drivers and motor carriers significantly more flexibility in scheduling driving...more
On August 14, 2019, the Department of Transportation announced proposed changes that have been in the works for the last couple of years – changes which will hopefully empower (rather than constrain) commercial drivers for...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published this week a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on changes to “hours of service” (HOS) rules to...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently released a statement hinting at possible future changes to the current regulations governing commercial truck drivers’ rest breaks and hours-of-service regulations. The...more
Chameleon carriers – dangerous trucking companies using new names to hide history of safety violations – are 3 times more likely to cause a truck accident - Lawyers who specialize in helping people injured in truck...more
The December 18, 2017 compliance deadline for the FMCSA’s electronic logging device (ELD) mandate is quickly approaching for the transportation industry. The mandate will require all drivers of commercial motor vehicles who...more
One controversial rule proposal that many expect will not become final under the new Trump Administration is the Speed Limiter rule proposed by two agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the National Highway...more