DOT Unveils 52 Deregulatory Actions, 20 at FMCSA

In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced 52 deregulatory actions, 20 of them at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Secretary Sean P. Duffy unveiled the package on May 29, 2025. According to the FMCSA announcement, the actions spanned FMCSA, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Across all three agencies, 43 were proposed rules, seven were final rules and two were withdrawals.

Most FMCSA items were proposals, so they would not change anything until finalized. The proposals were published in the Federal Register on May 30.

Paperwork and ELDs

Several items targeted record-keeping that the Department described as outdated:

• ELD operator's manual. FMCSA proposed to drop the requirement to keep an electronic logging device user's manual in the truck. It noted that vendors submit manuals when they self-certify devices and that drivers already must understand how their ELD works.
• Electronic DVIRs. In response to a comment from the National Tank Truck Carriers, FMCSA proposed explicit language confirming that driver vehicle inspection reports can be completed electronically.
• Roadside inspection reports. Responding to a CVSA petition, FMCSA proposed that carriers return signed inspection reports only to states that ask for them.
• CDL self-reporting. Because states began exchanging violations exclusively by electronic means in 2024, FMCSA proposed ending the rule that CDL holders self-report violations to their home state.

Equipment rules

A group of proposals dealt with vehicle parts and accessories. FMCSA proposed to:

• drop the requirement to carry spare fuses;
• remove references to liquid-burning flares, which it believed were no longer used;
• rescind the retroreflective sheeting retrofit rule for trailers made before December 1, 1993;
• remove the rule that rear impact guards carry a permanent certification label, which can wear off;
• remove the 95% fuel tank fill limit, in response to a CVSA petition;
• clarify that tire sidewalls do not need load restriction markings;
• exempt truck tractors towing a trailer from rear license plate lamp requirements;
• allow small auxiliary fuel tanks under certain conditions, and exempt certain older portable conveyors from the brakes-on-all-wheels rule.

Driver-related changes

Other FMCSA items would:

• add an exception to the stop requirement at railroad crossings with active warning devices that are not activated, if the driver checks the track is clear and local law allows;
• let dual-status military technicians use the military exception from CDL standards;
• remove an obsolete vision waiver grandfathering provision;
• revise the definition of "medical treatment" for accident reporting.

Clean-up items

FMCSA also repealed obsolete motor carrier routing rules dating from the Interstate Commerce Commission, updated a reference in its civil penalty schedule, and proposed removing outdated references to water carriers.

The Department said the package would delete more than 73,000 words from federal regulations.

Archive: this article describes rules and events as of May 2025. Regulations may have changed since, so check the current rule before relying on it.