trucking blog

Trucking Things to Know Now, Part 12: Federal Regulatory Updates

Whatever the political headlines of the day, federal agencies continue to add new trucking regulations, adopt new forms, and extend or discontinue previous waivers and exemptions. In this series, “Trucking Things to Know Now,” PrePass provides quick updates on regulatory developments, often with links to more information. 2024 is here

Read More

California Dreamin’ of Zero-Emissions Trucks Hits Bump in the Road

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) dreams of a world where all trucks, whether based in California or not, will be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by the year 2036. To achieve that goal, CARB adopted the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation in April 2023. CARB hoped to take steps toward that

Read More

New Independent Contractor Rules Will Affect Owner-Operator Truckers

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently published its 339-page final rule on how it will consider workers “employees” or “independent contractors” using a multi-factor approach. The DOL final rule is based on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA sets the federal minimum wage rate for all hours

Read More

Has Your Electronic Logging Device Been Cancelled? FMCSA Revokes More ELDs.

It’s almost like feeling out of sorts, heading to your doctor’s office, and learning that your long-time family physician has retired. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires most interstate motor carriers to have electronic logging devices (ELDs), in their trucks. Truck drivers, in turn, become accustomed to the particular

Read More

Clearinghouse II: Truckers Must Complete Return-To-Duty Process or Lose Their CDL

Effective Nov. 18, 2024, commercial vehicle drivers in a “prohibited” status in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse will lose their commercial driving privileges unless they complete the return-to-duty (RTD) process. The “prohibited” clearinghouse status means that a person holding a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or

Read More

Podcast #77: Expect These New & Updated Trucking Regulations in 2024

The year 2023 wrapped up with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other federal agencies leaving a lot of unfinished business when it comes to trucking regulations. That means both truck drivers and fleet managers can expect an avalanche of proposals and final rules in 2024. Listen to this

Read More

Navigating the Trucking Regulatory Landscape: A Recap of 2023

As the wheels of the trucking industry rolled into 2023, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set the stage for a year filled with pivotal regulatory developments. From the contentious discussions surrounding truck speed limiters to the examination of unique identification

Read More

Take a Look Back Before Planning The Trucking Year Ahead

By Steve Vaughn, senior vice president of field operations, PrePass Safety Alliance I had a college professor who ended each semester with the question: “What did you learn this year?” The class responses typically hit the high points of the curriculum. Only later did I realize that the professor used

Read More

FMCSA Raises Broker & Freight Forwarder Financial Responsibilities

Motor carriers have new protections against broker and freight forwarder fraud. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a final rule on broker and freight forwarder financial responsibilities with the aim of alleviating the effects of broker or trustee non-payment of claims. FMCSA says it listened closely to motor carrier

Read More

NLRB Joint-Employer Rule May Increase Trucking Labor Costs

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a final rule on determining joint-employer status, raising concerns by some in trucking that relationships between carriers could be disrupted and they could see increased labor costs. The rule sets forth the factors the NLRB will examine when deciding whether two companies

Read More