New DOT regulations 2022: What’s changed this year?

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for ensuring the safety and efficiency of transportation in the United States. For this reason, the agency has the authority to issue regulations. These regulations govern various modes of transportation. In recent years, the DOT has implemented several new regulations that have the potential to significantly impact the transportation industry and the public. As one of the most reliable moving companies, we at Best Cross County Movers are quite knowledgeable on this topic. In this article, we will explore some of the most significant new DOT regulations 2022 and discuss their potential impacts on the industry and the public.

What are DOT regulations?

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for ensuring that transportation in the United States is safe, efficient, and environmentally sound. Hence, the DOT has various agencies and offices that regulate different modes of transportation, including aviation, highways, railroads, and pipelines. These agencies have the authority to issue regulations related to their respective areas of responsibility.

First, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates the operation and maintenance of aircraft, airports, and other aspects of aviation safety. Additionally, the Highway Administration (FHA) regulates the construction, maintenance, and operation of the national highway system. Furthermore, the Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates the safety of commercial motor vehicles, including trucks, buses, and other vehicles used to transport goods and people. Lastly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulates the safety of vehicles and equipment used on the roads, including passenger cars, light trucks, and motorcycles.

The DOT’s regulatory authority is subject to change over time. As a result, new regulations are often put in place to address emerging issues or to update existing regulations. This is why it is expected from all Maryland interstate moving companies to be well briefed about any new regulations. There are many new DOT regulations in 2022 worth discussing. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most important ones.

New DOT regulations 2022

In 2021, there was little change to regulatory standards in the trucking industry. This is due to the ongoing COVID pandemic and supply chain issues. These issues also affected other industries, such as the moving business. For a long time, there were no changes in how Delaware long distance moving companies operated. However, a major infrastructure bill passed into law in November. This made it apparent that there will be significant regulatory changes in 2022. These changes may affect the trucking industry:

1. Implementation of the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule for CDL trainees
2. Expansion of the age range for interstate truck drivers to include those under 21
3. Updates to the DOT Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse for drug and alcohol testing
4. New safety regulations
5. Medical Examiner Final Rule
6. Speed Limiting Rule 
7. California AB5 Independent Contractor Rule for hiring

Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule

New minimum training requirements were made for individuals who wanted to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Additionally, new regulations for upgrading a CDL, or obtaining a passenger (P), school bus (S), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement.

These requirements are known as the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule. They require that an entry-level driver must complete a prescribed program. This program consists of theory and behind-the-wheel instruction before taking the knowledge test or the state-administered CDL skills or hazmat endorsement tests. As a matter of fact, all drivers for Oregon intestate moving companies have finished this program. The training had to be provided by an entity listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Training Provider Registry (TPR).

Under 21 Interstate Drivers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) wants to get more young people to join the trucking industry. So, they are suggesting a pilot program that would allow 18 to 20-year-olds to drive big commercial vehicles (CMVs) between states. A trucker apprenticeship program has started on January 14, 2022, as part of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

This program will certify up to 25,000 young drivers as long-haul truckers each year until 2024. Many young drivers will have an opportunity to work for big companies such as Indiana cross country moving companies. They must complete 240 hours of driving a truck with safety features like an automatic brake system and a speed limiter set at 65 mph. After they finish this requirement, they will be able to drive any cross-state route in the country. This is one of the most important new DOT rules for 2022.

New York is the first state to implement this change

There is currently a high demand for new commercial truck drivers due to supply chain delays and an aging workforce. To increase the number of Class A commercial vehicles on the road, the state of New York has passed a law that allows people aged 18-20 to get a CDL Class A license. This will allow them to drive tractor-trailers and other large commercial vehicles on roads and highways in New York. Before this law, drivers had to be at least 21 years old to legally drive a semi-truck in New York. This will greatly impact the moving industry and how New York interstate moving companies hire their drivers.

DOT Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

There may be changes coming to the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. This is a database that records information about drug and alcohol test results and violations. One proposed change is expected to streamline and improve error-correction procedures, queries, and consent requirements. Additionally, carriers may be able to request exemptions from the Clearinghouse rules, although whether or not these exemptions are granted will depend on the specific circumstances of the carrier requesting the exemption.

State with the lowest drug and alcohol consumption tolerance

In Arizona, the consequences for a truck driver who is convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) are severe. If it is a first offense, the minimum punishment is a ten-day jail sentence, a nine-hundred-and-ninety-day suspension of the individual’s driver’s license, and fines ranging from two hundred and fifty dollars to one thousand dollars.

If it is the truck driver’s third DUI conviction, the offense is automatically classified as a felony and the punishment is even more severe, including two and a half years in jail, a three-year suspension of the driver’s license, and additional charges ranging from seven hundred and fifty dollars to one thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars. Arizona has some of the strictest DUI laws in the country for truck drivers. This means that drivers of Arizona interstate moving companies need to be extremely diligent and responsible in order to avoid severe punishment.

Medical Examiner Final Rule

In 2017, the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, a database for medical exam information for commercial drivers, experienced an outage that lasted for seven months. As a result, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) suspended the uploading of driver examinations until the functionality was restored.

In a recent notice, the FMCSA proposed extending the compliance date for several provisions of its 2015 medical examiner’s certification integration final rule by an additional four years, until June 23, 2025, in order to give the FMCSA time to complete IT system development tasks and to allow state driver’s licensing agencies sufficient time to make necessary IT programming changes after the new national registry system is available. The FMCSA has faced additional setbacks in its efforts to launch the new national registry system since the 2017 outage.

Speed limiting rule according to the new DOT regulations 2022

Another one of new DOT regulations in 2022 concerns the speed limit. In June 2021, there was a proposition that would make it a requirement for trucks to have technology installed that limits their speed. This technology would only allow the truck to go as fast as 65 mph or 70 mph if it had certain safety features. The regulations regarding speed limits are the strictest in Georgia. This means that drivers who work for Georgia moving companies will need to be ever more careful now.

The proposal originally included different speed limits but did not include rules to prevent tampering with the speed limiters. As of May 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is thinking about whether to make this a rule.

Safety Regulations

Meera Joshi, who has been serving as the deputy administrator of FMCSA has identified four important safety priorities for the trucking industry:

1. electronic transfer of license data between states, which is in the final stages of being published to facilitate interstate cooperation
2. states downgrading licenses for drivers who test positive for drugs
3. strengthening the FMCSA’s new entrant program
4. increasing the scope of motor carrier investigations to include more at-risk behavior

As a new entrant, trucking companies are required to follow Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Additionally, they will be subject to a New Entrant Safety Audit within the first 12 months of operation to complete the New Entrant Program. Same goes with truckers that operate for West Virginia cross country moving companies, they will have to follow the same safety regulations.

California AB15 Independent Contractor Rule

The trucking industry is facing a major problem with a bill called California AB5. This bill makes it illegal to use leased owner-operators in the state. The bill will affect all truck drivers, such as drivers for California moving companies who will have to adjust to it very fast. This is because of the ever-growing moving industry in California.

In January 2020, a judge stopped the state from enforcing the law on truck drivers. The highest court in the United States, the Supreme Court, has also asked for a legal opinion on whether they should hear a case brought by the California Trucking Association (CTA), who argue that federal law should take precedence over California’s AB5 for the trucking industry

Additional new DOT regulations 2022

There are some new rules for trucking that are still not in place. These rules are not yet in place and don’t require any changes at this time. However, they may affect trucking in the near future. Here are some of the potential new rules:

• Changing truck emission standards: The Department of Transportation may adopt a rule that requires zero emissions by 2045.
• Automatic emergency braking: Congress is looking into technology that can help prevent truck collisions. It’s not clear when this will be mandatory.
• Hours of service changes: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the FMCSA allowed truckers to work longer hours. These changes were temporary, but it’s likely that the hours of service will change again as the pandemic ends.
• Driver safety-fitness rulemaking: This is still being planned, but it will involve steps to make sure that truck drivers are fit to drive. It’s still clear what these steps will be.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has implemented several new regulations in recent years that have the potential to significantly impact the transportation industry and the public. These regulations range from changes to trucking speed limiters and the inclusion of young drivers in the trucking industry, to the establishment of a trucker apprenticeship program. It’s important for individuals and companies in the transportation industry to stay informed about these new regulations and to ensure that they are in compliance with them. By following these rules, we can help to ensure the safety and efficiency of transportation in the United States. Hopefully, we’ve provided you with adequate information regarding new DOT regulations 2022.