Truckers have through Tuesday, July 29 to comment on deregulatory actions
Time is running out for truckers and other members of the public to comment on 18 deregulatory actions proposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
In late May, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than 50 proposals or final rules aimed at streamlining the Code of Federal Regulations. That included two final rules and 18 notices of proposed rulemaking from FMCSA.
The public comment period on those proposals runs through Tuesday, July 29.
The deregulatory actions are a result of the Trump administration’s focus on reducing the regulatory burden. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January stating that before introducing a new regulation, at least 10 existing regulations must be targeted for elimination.
“Big government has been a big failure,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in May. “Under President Trump’s leadership, my department is slashing duplicative and outdated regulations that are unnecessarily burdensome, waste taxpayer dollars and fail to ensure safety.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 commonsense changes that will help us build a more efficient government that better reflects the needs of the American people.”
FMCSA’s deregulatory proposals
The agency’s proposal to rescind the requirement that rear impact guards must be permanently marked or labeled with a certification from the manufacturer is receiving support from industry and enforcement.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has long contended that a faded or missing label has nothing to do with safety.
Late last year, FMCSA issued guidance explaining that faded or missing rear-impact guard labels do not indicate a compliance issue. The clarification was issued in response to efforts by OOIDA, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the American Trucking Associations.
The guidance was an important step toward making the focus the condition of rear-impact guards rather than the label. This proposal would eliminate the label requirement altogether and remove the need for the regulatory guidance related to faded or missing labels.
As of Friday, July 25, FMCSA had received comments from CVSA and National Tank Truck Carriers. Both organizations support the deregulatory proposal.
“It is possible for a rear impact guard to have a certification label intact but not meet the minimum physical safety standards … at the time of inspection,” CVSA wrote in comments signed by Executive Director Collin B. Mooney. “Conversely, a rear impact guard could meet all the physical requirements … but be missing the required label due to normal wear and tear.”
To submit a comment on FMCSA’s proposal to remove the rear guard label requirement, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2025-0107.
Some of the other deregulatory proposals include rescinding such requirements as having the electronic logging device operator’s manual inside the vehicle, possessing spare fuses and making CDL holders self-report motor vehicle violations to their state of domicile.
All 18 of FMCSA’s deregulatory proposals can be found below:
- Accident reporting
- ELD operator’s manual
- Railroad grade crossings
- Electronic driver vehicle inspection reports
- Spare fuses
- References to “water carriers”
- Rear guard labels
- Retroreflective sheeting
- Brakes on portable conveyors
- Fuel tank overfill restriction
- Liquid-burning flares
- Driver vehicle examination report disposition
- Tire load markings
- Self-reporting
- Vision standards grandfathering provision
- Applicability to the exception for certain military personnel
- License plate lamps
- Auxiliary fuel tanks
Tuesday, July 29 is the final day to submit comments on all of those proposals. LL