The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will begin enforcing its New Entrant Safety Assurance Process rule, which requires newly registered truck and bus companies to meet stricter safety requirements. This final rule raises the compliance standards for passing new entrant safety audits and requires that new carriers correct safety deficiencies before being granted permanent registration.
The Agency identifies 16 regulations that are essential elements of basic safety management controls necessary to operate in interstate commerce and makes a carrier’s failure to comply with any one of the 16 regulations an automatic failure of the safety audit. These regulations cover controlled substances and alcohol testing, hours-of-service rules, driver qualifications, vehicle condition and carrier insurance responsibility. These new requirements should increase safety to the motoring public and bus passengers from rogue commercial motor carriers.
For more information on the new Entrant Safety Assurance Process rule, visit the FMCSA website .
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
