Commercial vehicle regulation is conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in order to protect the highways of the United States. The FMCSA was established as a separate administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and aims to reduce large-truck and bus crashes, injuries, and deaths. The main FMCSA-mandated areas are driver training, HOS, vehicle inspections, and drug and alcohol testing.
Perhaps the most important FMCSA rule is the Hours of Service (HOS) rule, which restricts driving hours to limit fatigue. Commercial drivers must be scheduled for driving, on-duty, and rest hours under HOS compliance to keep them safe on the roads. The FMCSA mandates Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) for commercial drivers as well, where electronic logging of hours is also required for proper HOS monitoring and compliance.
In addition, FMCSA is responsible for vehicle safety inspections so that commercial trucks are properly maintained before they take to the roads. Drug and alcohol testing by FMCSA ensures drivers remain fit for duty.
