FMCSA moves forward with regulatory purge

Soon, truck drivers will find a few less requirements in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation Handbook.

On Thursday, Feb. 19, FMCSA issued a dozen deregulatory actions that will take effect on March 23.

The U.S. Department of Transportation began the deregulatory effort in May 2025, announcing proposals to withdraw dozens of rules across several agencies that were either “redundant” or had no “real-life application.”

“Big government has been a big failure,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last year. “Under President Trump’s leadership, my department is slashing duplicative and outdated regulations that are unnecessarily burdensome, waste taxpayer dollars and fail to ensure safety. These are common-sense changes that will help us build a more efficient government that better reflects the needs of the American people.”

Now, FMCSA is moving forward, announcing final rules to rescind requirements, including those involving rear-impact-guard labels and spare fuses.

Rear-impact guard labels

FMCSA will officially rescind the requirement that the rear-impact guard must be permanently marked or labeled with the manufacturer’s certification.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supported the decision, saying that a missing label should not be considered a violation.

“The presence of a certification label or marking serves no safety function after the trailer has been manufactured and sold to a motor carrier,” OOIDA wrote in its comments, signed by President Todd Spencer. “Once the trailer is on the road, these labels can quickly become illegible or deteriorate during the service life of the trailer. The lack of a certification label has no bearing on the structural integrity or proper mounting of the rear impact protection guard.”

Other deregulatory actions

• CDL standards: FMCSA amends the regulations to allow dual-status military technicians to qualify for the exception from CDL standards. The agency said the amendment would explicitly allow dual-status military technicians, regardless of whether they are members of either the Reserves or the National Guard, to qualify for the military exception.
• Electronic driver vehicle inspection reports: FMCSA clarifies that the inspection reports can be completed electronically.
• Auxiliary fuel tanks: FMCSA amends its fuel tank requirements for tanks with a capacity of less than 5 gallons.
• Brakes on portable conveyors: FMCSA adds an exception for portable conveyors from the requirement that each commercial motor vehicle be equipped with brakes acting on all wheels.
• Fuel tank overfill restriction: FMCSA removes the requirement that a liquid fuel tank manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 1973, be designed and constructed so that it cannot be filled with a quantity of fuel that exceeds 95% of the tank’s liquid capacity.
• License plate lamps: FMCSA adds an exception from the lamp and reflective device requirements for license plate lamps on the rear of truck tractors while towing a trailer.
• Liquid-burning flares: FMCSA removes references to liquid-burning flares from the warning device requirements.
• Spare fuses: FMCSA removes the requirement that commercial motor vehicles must be equipped with at least one spare fuse for every applicable type and size.
• Tire load markings: FMCSA clarifies that the regulations don’t require tire load restriction markings on the sidewalls of the tires.
• Vision standards: FMCSA removes an “obsolete” grandfathering provision from the standards.
• Water carriers: FMCSA removes obsolete references to water carriers as the agency doesn’t specifically regulate them.

OOIDA was supportive of all the actions, calling them examples of “common-sense regulatory reform.” LL