Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration May 30, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces that it has received an application from the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) to renew its exemption that permits all commercial driver's license (CDL) applicants seeking a school bus endorsement to forgo the engine compartment portion of the pre-trip vehicle inspection skills testing requirement, known informally as the "under-the-hood" testing requirement. Drivers issued CDLs pursuant to the requested exemption are restricted to intrastate operation of school buses only. The current exemption is effective from November 28, 2022, through November 28, 2024, and NSTA has requested a three-year extension of the exemption. FMCSA requests public comment on NSTA's request for exemption.

FMCSA announces that it has received an application from the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) requesting extension of its current exemptions from the Agency's hours-of-service (HOS) regulations for 12 additional member companies. The request would allow drivers employed by the 12 member carriers to exclude off-duty and sleeper- berth time of any length from the calculation of the 14-hour limit. It would also to allow these drivers to use paper records of duty status (RODS) in lieu of an electronic logging device (ELD) during the designated Independence Day periods.