Jeremy Wolfe
Key takeaways
- The latest federal government regulatory agenda is live, outlining regulators’ vague plans for upcoming rulemakings.
- Several rulemakings, including changes to CDL standards and roadside inspection reporting, are in the final rule phase and could be implemented soon.
- In this article are the rulemakings that could impact fleets.
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The latest federal regulatory agenda is now public, vaguely outlining the Department of Transportation’s regulatory plans.
The agenda gives fleets a solid idea of the final rules and proposals for the industry’s future, but it is far from a firm timeline for the industry’s next regulatory shifts.
Below are the agenda’s rulemakings that fleets will want to watch. These could appear in the near future as proposed rulemakings or final rules in the Federal Register.
The rulemakings in the proposed rule stage are waiting for a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM): they have limited information and probably a long path before taking effect.
Rulemakings in the final rule stage have an NPRM available online and are awaiting the rule’s final draft; these could take effect within a month of the final rule’s publication.
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High-impact rulemakings
First, here are the regulatory agenda items that could have the highest impact for fleets, if FMCSA publishes them:
An incoming NPRM would outline new regulations for the testing and deployment of automated driving systems. The Trump administration remains very interested in autonomous tech, and autonomous truck developers are already embedded in commercial operations, but federal rulemaking has so far been slow to arrive.
Training provider certification
An incoming NPRM would propose ways to strengthen the standards of FMCSA Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) training providers. The rulemaking may even require training providers to maintain some form of ongoing compliance to remain listed, rather than simple self-certification.
FMCSA and NHTSA are planning a supplemental NPRM to comply with 2022’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This NPRM would propose test procedures for truck manufacturers’ automatic emergency braking (AEB). The first NPRM was published in 2023 under the Biden FMCSA.
An NPRM on the agenda could update electronic logging device (ELD) regulations. The rulemaking would “streamline and improve the clarity of regulatory text and ELD specifications.” FMCSA first issued an anticipatory NPRM (ANPRM) for these ELD revisions in 2022. It’s a Biden-era rulemaking with little progress, but because of FMCSA’s recent interest in driver regulatory enforcement, the rulemaking could see an update in the next few months.
Emergency exemption extensions
This rulemaking would extend the time limit for the automatic emergency relief exemption under a regional declaration of emergency, reverting from 14 days to 30 days. Not mentioned in the agenda posting, FMCSA had issued the NPRM in January.
Rulemakings to watch
These agenda items are less impactful but still worth monitoring. Some are designed specifically to make carriers’ lives easier by reducing regulatory burdens; others could be highly impactful but are just too early in the rulemaking process.
Carrier safety fitness determinations
This NPRM vaguely gestures toward “potential updates” to how FMCSA determines when a motor carrier is not fit to operate. The agency first asked for feedback on its safety fitness determination process in 2023, so there is a chance this rule is just a vestige of the Biden-era FMCSA.
Agricultural commodity hours of service
FMCSA’s yearslong rulemaking to codify HOS exemptions for drivers moving agricultural commodities is in its final rule phase. The rulemaking’s last update was in 2020, when the agency published an interim final rule.
No more self-reporting violations
FMCSA is proposing to remove the requirement that CDL holders self-report violations to their home state. The NPRM was published in 2025, and this change is now in the final rule phase.
English language out-of-service criteria
This NPRM could propose more formally codifying English Language Proficiency requirements as an out-of-service violation.
Submitting roadside inspection forms
This rulemaking, now in the final rule stage, would remove the requirement that motor carriers always submit completed Driver Vehicle Examination Reports (also known as Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports) to their issuing states. Instead, carriers would need to submit the form only if the state agency requests it.
Ending the required stop at railroad crossings
FMCSA’s rulemaking to eliminate the mandatory stop at highway-rail grade crossings is in the final rule phase. The agency issued an NPRM in May 2025 to propose less strict requirements: affected commercial vehicle drivers (e.g., bus drivers) would be able to pass a highway-rail crossing without stopping—if the crossing has an active warning device.
FMCSA is working to publish an NPRM to “enhance the security standards” of state-issued CDLs, including changes to record retention and document verification.
This rulemaking would update FMCSA’s fee system for the Commercial Driver’s License Information System, adopting a user-fee-based approach. Not included in the regulatory agenda, this rulemaking already saw an NPRM in May.
FMCSA has already issued the interim final rule on non-domiciled CDL limits but still has the final rule on its agenda. This rulemaking limits states’ authority to issue or renew non-domiciled CDLs.
More Clearinghouse information
One pending NPRM would propose “increasing the availability of driver information” from the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, among other unnamed process changes.
Fewer motor vehicle requirements
FMCSA has three rulemakings in the final rule phase that, if published, would remove several CMV equipment regulations. The requirements to be removed are rear impact guard labels, spare fuses, some tractor license plate lamps, portable conveyor brakes, and ELD manuals.
