2024 Facts for Drivers PDF

the primary regulations motor carriers must comply with. They cover company requirements (safety management, registration, authority, insurance, etc.), vehicle marking, driver licensing and qualifications, safe driving, parts and accessories, hours of service, vehicle inspec- tion and maintenance, e...

the primary regulations motor carriers must comply with. They cover company requirements (safety management, registration, authority, insurance, etc.), vehicle marking, driver licensing and qualifications, safe driving, parts and accessories, hours of service, vehicle inspec- tion and maintenance, etc. FMCSA has also issued standards for state safety programs, and the state regulatory and enforcement bodies have, for the most part, adopted them as their own. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), created in 2005, is responsible for hazardous materials transportation and safety. This agency oversees the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs). These are the regulations carriers and drivers transporting hazardous materials must obey. Topics covered by the HMBRs include registration, naming and classifying hazardous materials, shipper’s responsibilities, and package and tank specifica- tion and testing. Also in the HMRs are specific requirement for carriage by rail, aircraft, water vessels, and highway vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), established in 1970, provides education, research, safety standards, and enforcement activity for the purpose of saving lives, preventing injuries and reducing economic costs due to traffic crashes. Under its authority, NHTSA issued the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which set forth minimum safety performance require- ments for motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment with which manufacturers must comply. All new vehicles must comply with the FMVSS when built, and many of the FMVSS requirements have been adopted into the FMCSRs, requiring commercial vehicles to be in compliance with them when operating on the roadway. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), one of the first admin- istrations to be created under U.S. DOT on October 15, 1966, has broad responsibility for ensuring that America’s roads and highways (physi- cal infrastructure) continue to be safe and technologically up to date. Another agency that has regulations affecting the trucking industry ts the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA regulations affecting the trucking industry include emissions limits on soot and waste gases (such as NOx and CO2), and the required use of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD). 1o