House Hearings on Fiscal 2018 & the FAST Act – What You Need to Know

A House hearing was held on July 17, 2017. A Quick overview is provided below:

Funding the CMV-related grants at the full FAST levels for fiscal 2018, which amounts to an increase over fiscal 2017. It’s not yet specified whether the bill will continue to the House floor on its own, or if the House Transportation Appropriations Committee will seek to roll it together with other spending bills prior to making it to the floor.

Additionally, updates on policy riders are as follows, directly from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA):
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• ELD Implementation – The committee report directs FMCSA to consider whether or not a partial or full delay in implementation of the ELD requirement is appropriate and report back to the committee within 60 days.
• ELD Exemption – The bill provides an exemption from the ELD requirement for motor carriers of livestock and insects.
• Weight Exemption – The bill adds North Dakota to Idaho’s current 129,000 lb. exemption.
• 30-Minute Rest Break Exemptions – The committee report also directs FMCSA to take into consideration drivers that make multiple stops throughout the day when considering 30-minute rest break exemption requests.
• Safety Fitness Determination – The bill prohibits FMCSA from moving forward with their SFD rulemaking until the Inspector General’s office certifies that the agency has made the changes recommended in the recently released study by the National Academies on the CSA program.
• Bus Lease and Interchange Rule – The bill directs FMCSA to publish a formal notice of proposed rulemaking to make changes to the agency’s Bus Lease and Interchange Rule.
• CSA – The committee report directs FMCSA to make SMS data available to motor carrier insurers and to expedite completion of the recommendations from the National Academies report on the CSA program, so that scores can once again be made available to the public.
• Automated Vehicles – The bill permits FMCSA to use $100 million in unspent funds from previous fiscal years to fund a highly automated commercial vehicle research and development program.
• WRI – While the bill itself does not include long standing language prohibiting FMCSA from moving forward with a wireless roadside, the committee report does direct the Secretary to monitor the program and to avoid creating conflicts with private systems.
• Truck Underride Guards – The committee report also directs NHTSA to move forward with a rulemaking to update truck rear impact guard requirements.
• Rest Break Preemption – The bill includes language that preempts the states from setting meal and rest break requirements for interstate carriers beyond those set by FMCSA.
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What does this mean for you and your drivers?

– The ELD Mandate may be delayed, pending reporting by the FMCSA.
– Exemptions are still in play: Livestock haulers may be exempt from the ELD Mandate.
– Your CSA scores may be made public again.
– The FMCSA may be granted $100 million to fund automated commercial truck research and development.

Would you like further clarification on the articles discussed? Call a DOT Consultant at CNS at 1-888-339-2490 to hear more about changes that may be coming your way and how to best prepare!