The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association expressed support for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s efforts to roll back regulations “that have no connection to safety performance.”
On Tuesday, July 29, OOIDA filed comments on 18 proposals from FMCSA aimed at rescinding “outdated” and “unnecessarily burdensome” regulations.
The deregulatory actions are a result of the Trump administration’s focus on reducing the regulatory burden. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January stating that before introducing a new regulation, at least 10 existing regulations must be targeted for elimination.
The DOT also committed to a regulatory rollback when it announced its “Pro-Trucker Package” in June.
“FMCSA’s deregulatory initiative is slashing red tape and eliminating burdensome regulations, which generated nearly 25,000 unnecessary violations in 2024,” the agency wrote. “The proposed actions eliminate over 1,800 words from federal regulations and are estimated to save the motor carrier industry millions annually.”
One of the DOT’s deregulatory actions that OOIDA has advocated for is the proposal to rescind the requirement that rear impact guards must be permanently marked or labeled with a certification from the manufacturer. This action has received support from industry and enforcement.
Although OOIDA agrees that rear impact guards are a practical piece of equipment that save lives, it contends that a missing decal should not be a violation.
“The presence of a certification label or marking serves no safety function after the trailer has been manufactured and sold to a motor carrier,” OOIDA wrote in its comments signed by President Todd Spencer. “Once the trailer is on the road, these labels can quickly become illegible or deteriorate during the service life of the trailer.
“The lack of a certification label has no bearing on the structural integrity or proper mounting of the rear impact protection guard. Yet, truckers with a missing or noncompliant rear impact guard have historically been subject to regulatory violations. The time and economic costs to comply with a regulation that has no discernible safety benefit does not help the productivity of small-business truckers.”
OOIDA added that the proposal is “a prime example of commonsense, cost-effective regulatory reform.”
Some of the other deregulatory proposals include rescinding such requirements as having the electronic logging device operator’s manual inside the vehicle, possessing spare fuses and making CDL holders self-report motor vehicle violations to their state of domicile.
OOIDA told the agency that the ELD operator’s manual requirement is another example of an unnecessary regulation that does not affect highway safety.
“This action is an example of commonsense regulatory reform,” OOIDA wrote. “We applaud the agency’s series of deregulatory proposals and urge FMCSA to further eliminate or modify unnecessary, ineffective regulations that have no connection to safety performance.” LL
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