WASHINGTON — In a move described by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as “common sense,” the U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) has proposed a sweeping deregulatory package that will rescind, withdraw or amend 52 regulations across its agencies.
According to a May 29 statement from the USDOT, the package will “rescind, withdraw, or amend burdensome regulations that do not enhance safety.” In addition, the statement notes that the changes will help “streamline” the Code of Federal Regulations by deleting over 73,000 words from the Federal Register.
“Big government has been a big failure. Under President Trump’s leadership, my department is slashing duplicative and outdated regulations that are unnecessarily burdensome, waste taxpayer dollars, and fail to ensure safety,” Duffy said. “These are common sense changes that will help us build a more efficient government that better reflects the needs of the American people.”
The USDOT statement notes that the deregulatory actions primarily target “redundant and decade-old rules that have no real-life application.”
Of the 52 deregulatory actions, 43 are at the Notice Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) stage, seven are final rules, and two are withdrawals of rulemaking actions. The USDOT says all 52 deregulatory actions will increase efficiencies without compromising safety for Americans.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are each facing 16 deregulatory actions. At the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 20 deregulatory actions were proposed.
Among the FMCSA regulations slated for recension or amendment are:
- The requirement that the rear impact guard be permanently marked or labeled with a certification from the impact guard manufacturer.
- The requirement that CDL holders self-report motor vehicle violations to their state of domicile.
- A rule requiring drivers to have a printed copy of the operator’s manual for their electronic logging device.
For a complete list of impacted regulations, click here.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been with The Trucker since 2020, picking up the reins as managing editor in 2022. Linda has nearly 40 years of experience in the publishing industry, covering topics from the trucking and automotive industry to employment, real estate, home decor, crafts, cooking, weddings, high school sports — you name it, she’s written about it. She is also an experienced photographer, designer and copy editor who has a heartfelt love for the trucking industry, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite.
I’m sure to catch flack over this, but I’d prefer to keep “A rule requiring drivers to have a printed copy of the operator’s manual for their electronic logging device.” As long as it’s mandatory, fleet owners will ensure these documents are available for the truck’s permit book and it’ll remain one less procedure I’ll need to commit to memory.
Wow! Finally some good news. I was hoping the electronic logging device itself would be on the chopping block, but I guess not! What other industry does the “bureaucrats” require a company to buy an expensive regulatory device from their friends, just to keep a carrier or driver from lying to them? What a slippery slope. next they’ll want cameras in your truck looking at the driver 100% of the time. In the name of safety, you have no rights. It reminds me of the YouTube channel “The Civil Rights Lawyer.” At the end of every video he says “our rights don’t end where your fears begin, freedom is scary, deal with it.” Unfortunately the bureaucrats that run DOT don’t consider rights violations when there friends lobbyists come by with another great regulatory idea item they want to force truckers to buy. What could go wrong???
Along come Highway! A 2021 startup with a great idea; demand access to your electronic logging device; personal account login and passwords! Also demand all carriers and drivers personal data like copies of driver’s license, registrations, titles of trucks, loan paperwork… the names and SS numbers of all your children… Give it to them or your company doesn’t work from this moment on. They got all the big companies to sign on with them; JB Hunt, Landstar, ATS, a ton of brokers… all the companies that control the freight. Now your business is done. You don’t get to work unless you give up your personal data. There should be a name for this type of activity like; extortion, racketeering??? There should be laws to prevent this type of activity like antitrust laws, extortion, racketeering??? When Highway was questioned about their activities they blamed it on their customers; JB Hunt, Landstar, ATS, the brokers… Highway claimed they don’t want the data, their customers want it. The old plausible deniability game! But don’t worry, your data is safe. Says the CEO with his new money, and homeless, toothless, drunk look. “This just in;” Experian just announced “a huge data breach, millions of accounts on Microsoft, Facebook and others.” WOW! Just think if Microsoft, Facebook, and others had turned to Highway their data would be safe! …
The root of this slippery slope is the electronic logging device my government bureaucrats require I have. At the same time my government refuses to act on criminal activity that’s a result of their required ELD. Hard to get happy with a little “good news”.
They need to sever the connection between Line-4 time and the 70-hour, 8-day limit. They won’t do it because then truckers could claim all the hours that they work, not just driving hours, and that would drive up wages. Neither political party is a friend truckers.