U.S.

Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration
December 6, 2016

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 Overview
 FMCSA’s Role and Mission
 Motor Carrier Safety Strategy
 The Commercial Driver’s License
Program
 Questions

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FMCSA’s Role and Mission

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 Federal v. State
• The United States of America is
comprised of 50 states, plus the District of
Columbia, and territories like Puerto Rico
and Guam.
• Each state has its own agency that
regulates transportation within its state
(intrastate transportation), e.g. The
Virginia Department of Transportation.
• Under the Commerce Clause of the
United States Constitution, the federal
government, including FMCSA, has
authority to regulate commerce among
the states. FMCSA’s primary jurisdiction
is interstate commercial motor vehicle
transportation.

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 DOT Mode Jurisdiction
PLANES: Federal Aviation Administration
ROADS: Federal Highway Administration
TRANSIT: Federal Transit Administration
RAIL: Federal Railroad Administration
PIPELINES: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
PORTS & SHIPS: Maritime Administration

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 DOT Motor Vehicle Safety
• National Highway Transportation Safety Administration: Standards
established for vehicle and vehicle equipment manufacturers .
Investigates vehicle and equipment defects.

• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: Standards established

for commercial motor vehicle users (companies and drivers).

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Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration’s Mission: Safety
Reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities
involving large trucks and buses through
education, innovation, regulation and
enforcement.

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FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
 Commercial motor vehicles that fall under FMCSA’s safety
jurisdiction:
 Exceed 10,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
 Require placarding
 Are designed or used to transport more than 8 passengers, including the
driver, for compensation
 Are designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers, including the
driver, not for compensation

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North American Industry Scope and FMCSA Resources*
 United States-based carriers: 529,254
 Power Units: 5,137,999
 Commercial drivers: 3,210,596

 Canada-based carriers: 13,047

 Power Units: 104,693
 Commercial drivers: 96,600

 Mexico-based carriers: 8,620

 Power Units: 34,635
 Commercial drivers: 26,975

 FMCSA staff – Approximately 1,100

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Commercial Motor Vehicle Crashes

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Large Truck and Bus Fatal Crashes, 2015

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Trends in Large Truck/Bus Crashes
Large Truck & Bus Fatalities
6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0
2000

2004

2007

2015
2001

2003

2005
2006

2008
2009
2010

2014
2002

2011
2012
2013 12
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 Critical Reasons for Crashes Involving
a Large Truck and a Passenger Vehicle
100
90
80
70
60
50 Large Trucks
40 Passenger Vehicles
30
20
10
0
Driver Vehicle Environment
Source: Large Truck Crash Causation Study, 2005
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 Priorities
 Raise the bar to entry
 Maintain high safety standards
 Remove high risk carriers and drivers

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Motor Carrier Safety Strategy

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• Regulations
• Registration
• Enforcement
• Grants to States
• Outreach & Education
• Research &
Technology

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 Companies Inspect vehicles
Investigators visit
register with and drivers and Enforcement brings
companies and
FMCSA record safety legal action
record safety
compliance data against companies
compliance data
not in compliance

USDOT # / Roadside/ Company

Operating Authority Weigh Stations Legal
Site Visits
Action
40,000+ New Entrants • 3,400,000 inspections • 30,000+ New Entrant Safety Audits
• 15,000 Compliance Investigations • 10,000+ Enforcement
• 20,000+ Warning Letters Actions Initiated

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 Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program
(MCSAP)
 Grants-to-States (MCSAP)
 Over $300 million (US dollars) / year
 States adopt compatible regulations for motor carrier safety
and hazardous materials operations
 Approximately 7,000 certified State roadside inspectors
throughout the United States
 Conduct approximately 3.4 million roadside inspections / year
 Conduct approximately 8,000 investigations / year
 Provides for uniformity in enforcement and compliance

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 Roadside Inspections
 Over 3.4 million inspections conducted
annually.
 Location
 Conducted at various locations, often at
truck weight and inspection stations and
ports of entry.
 Violations Can Include:
 Violations of CMV laws of the state in which
the inspection is being conducted.
 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
(FMCSRs)
 The Federal Hazardous Materials
Regulations (HMR)
 Criminal violations, e.g. drug smuggling.

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 Roadside Inspection Levels

 North American Standard Levels of Inspection:

 Level I: Driver, vehicle and load
 Level II: Walk-around Driver/Vehicle Inspection
 Level III: Driver/Credential Inspection
 Level IV: Special Inspection (one time, one item)
 Level V: Vehicle Only
 Level VI: Highway Route Controlled Radioactive Materials
 Level VII: State Designated Inspection

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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 21
 Compliance, Safety, Accountability
What is Compliance, Safety,
Accountability (CSA)?
CSA is the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration’s (FMCSA)
enforcement and compliance
program used to achieve the Agency’s
mission to prevent commercial motor
vehicle (CMV) crashes, injuries, and
fatalities
 CSA: Safety Measurement System (SMS)
• Quantifies all on-road safety performance to:
– Identify unsafe motor carriers for intervention
– Determine specific safety problems
– Monitor safety problems over time
• Measures safety performance in 7 Behavior
Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories
(BASICs)
• Unsafe Driving • Driver Fitness • Vehicle Maintenance
• Hours of Service • Controlled • Hazardous Materials
Substances/Alcohol • Crash Indicator
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Sample Carrier SMS Results

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Compliance Investigations
Companies selected for an investigation based on:

• Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) data

• Significant Crash

• Complaint

• Other evidence of safety violations

FMCSA Investigation
• An examination of a motor carrier’s operations

• Review motor carrier’s compliance with Federal

laws and regulations

• Record regulatory violations

• Make recommendations to improve safety

 Safety Management Cycle

http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/About/SMC_Overview.aspx
Results of an FMCSA Investigation
 A safety rating may be
issued

 Enforcement action may be

initiated to induce compliance
with applicable regulations
and laws

 FMCSA can utilize various

Enforcement Tools
Enforcement Tools
 Notice of Violation

 Notice of Claim (Civil Penalty)

 Out-of-Service Orders for

motor carriers or drivers

 Suspension of Vehicle
Registration Plates

 Injunctions

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 Outreach and Education
• Grant funding provided to states
• Stakeholder meetings
• Social Media

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 December 6, 2016

Michael Gordon, Team Leader

Commercial Driver’s License Division

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

This presentation provides an overview of the laws, regulations,
and enforcement relating to commercial vehicle administration.
• Introduction to the major responsibilities of the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration.

• 49 CFR 383/384 – the procedures for the commercial vehicle

driver’s license exam and skills test, and mechanism of update.

• Coordination and cooperation between Federal and State

agencies in the administration of commercial vehicle drivers.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Major Responsibilities

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 Commercial Drivers License Division
Major Responsibility

The most important role of the Federal Motor

Carrier Safety Administration’s - Commercial
Drivers License Division is to assure compliance
by the State Driver Licensing Agencies (SDLA).

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 How it Started
Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986

• To prevent commercial vehicle drivers from concealing unsafe

driving records by carrying licenses from more than one state.

• To ensure that all commercial vehicle drivers demonstrate the

minimum levels of knowledge and skills needed to safely
operate commercial motor vehicles before being licensed.

• To subject commercial motor vehicle drivers to new, uniform

sanctions for certain unsafe driving practices.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

 Prior to the
Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act

• States had wide variations in:

o Testing and licensing standards; and
o Disciplinary actions for violating traffic control laws.
• Drivers had multiple licenses.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

 Commercial Driver’s License Standards
Requirements and Penalties
49 CFR Part 383

• Requires drivers to have a single license and disqualifies

drivers who operate a vehicle in an unsafe manner;
• Requires Drivers to notify their employer of convictions;
• Establishes disqualification and penalties for convictions;
• Defines commercial motor vehicle groups and various
endorsements; and
• Establishes minimum criteria for written and skills test.

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 Who is Required to Have a CDL?
Any Person Who Operates a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV), in
commerce, to transport passengers or property.
Classes of CMVs
A B C

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

 Commercial Motor Vehicle
CDL - Endorsements
The Federal regulations establish uniform endorsements for
commercial driver’s licenses. “P” - Passenger Vehicles

“T” - Double/Triple Trailers

“S” - School bus

“N” - Tank Vehicles

“H” - Hazardous Materials

Air Brakes
“X” - Combined “H” and “N” Endorsements

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Special Exemptions from CDL Regulations
Military Vehicles

Farm
Vehicles Recreational
Vehicles

Emergency
Vehicles

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 Disqualifying Offenses
• Major Offenses

• Serious Traffic Violations

• Railroad Grade Crossing Violations

• Violations of Out-Of-Service Orders

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

 CDL Driver Testing
• General Knowledge Test
 Multiple choice questions
 50 questions
 80 percent correct

• Driving Skills Test

 Pre-Trip Inspection
 Basic Control Skills
 On Road

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

 Federal and State Coordination
• Minimum Federal Regulations – 49 Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR)

• State Administration

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 Testing Updates

Test Maintenance
sub-Committee
 =

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 Contact Information

Michael Gordon, Team Leader

Commercial Drivers License Division
FMCSA / MC-ESL
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590
e-mail: michael.gordon2@dot.gov

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration