May, 2026

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Broker Liability

The Supreme Court has ruled that brokers may be held liable for employing an unsafe carrier involved in an accident. However, this does not imply that brokers are automatically liable whenever an accident happens. Plaintiffs are still required to demonstrate ordinary negligence under state law, which means they must prove that the broker knew or should have known that the carrier they hired posed a safety risk.

Potential Regulations to Keep an Eye On Federal insurance requirements are currently being reviewed and could be raised from $750,000 to as much as $5,000,000. This change would result in increased liability insurance premiums for carriers. In New Jersey, the state has already increased the liability insurance coverage to $1,500,000 for operations within its jurisdiction.

Drivers marked as "prohibited" in the FMCSA's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse will lose or be refused their State-issued commercial driving privileges.

There is a consideration to permit drivers under 21 to drive commercial vehicles across state borders. Currently, a pilot program is in progress to assess the use of interstate drivers under 21.

Data Q

Changes to the DataQ Process

The new rules establish a mandatory three-stage review process to prevent "rubber-stamp" denials by the original issuing officers:

Stage 1 (Initial Review): Requests must be opened within 7 days and decided within 21 days. The original officer cannot be the sole decision-maker.

Stage 2 (Reconsideration): An independent reviewer or panel must evaluate the appeal within 21 days. This person cannot be the issuing officer or their direct supervisor.

Stage 3 (Final Review): Final appeals are escalated to senior leadership or an independent panel, with a 45-day deadline for a decision.

Increased Transparency and Accountability

To ensure fairness, states are now required to meet higher standards for denials and reporting:

Detailed Justifications: Denials must include the decision-maker’s name, the evidence reviewed, and a specific legal or factual analysis for the outcome.

Financial Incentives: State compliance is tied to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grant funding.

Performance Tracking: The FMCSA will publish state-specific data, such as average review times and completion percentages, to the public DataQs website.

Timeline for Implementation

April/May 2026: Training and outreach for state agencies begin.

June 2026: States must submit draft implementation plans.

September 2026: The full system goes live, and the new requirements become enforceable.

Note: It remains unclear if these changes will be retroactive for violations occurring before the mid-September implementation date.

Drug Testing

The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a final regulation effective June 1, 2023, which, among other provisions, permits employers to utilize oral fluid drug testing as an alternative to urine drug testing. Additionally, the final rule:

• harmonizes with pertinent sections of the HHS ( Health & Human Services) oral fluid Mandatory Guidelines

• clarifies certain Part 40 provisions that cover urine drug testing procedures

• removes provisions that are no longer necessary

• adds eight new definitions, clarifies language in definitions, and provides web links

• updates provisions to address issues that have arisen in recent years.
  

Introducing this modification in drug testing is taking some time, as it necessitates setting up collection sites and laboratories to support it.

Almost three years have elapsed since the DOT authorized oral fluid drug testing, but no laboratories have been approved to perform the required tests.

Driver Qualification Files

Our Driver Qualification File Management Service handles the task of qualifying your drivers, keeping necessary records, and managing the continuous maintenance of these files.

We provide online storage for your driver records and send email alerts for items in the file that are overdue or approaching their expiration date.

You won't have to track the expiration dates for DOT physicals, CDL, or driver licenses, nor the due dates for annual reviews or when to acquire Motor Vehicle Records (MVR). Twice a month, you'll get an email with a list of your current drivers and any required actions. You'll be notified two months ahead of any needed renewals.

To include new drivers, you can reach out to our office or utilize our website. We will take care of contacting former employers, obtaining the MVRs, and uploading all records to our system.

Your office can access the online files with a username and password. In the event of a DOT safety audit, the auditor will be provided with a username and password to examine the files remotely.

This approach successfully meets the driver qualification criteria and guarantees they stay current.

Fuel and Mileage Taxes

For carriers whose fuel and mileage tax filings we manage, please submit your fuel receipts with unit numbers indicated, along with GPS data or trip reports, each month for this maintenance service.

Users of ELD and GPS are required to allow us access to their electronic records and submit their fuel receipts sorted by vehicle and month.

It is essential to update your records monthly because state and federal governments may have various reports or tax changes that require a monthly mileage breakdown. You must log all miles, even those for non-commercial activities such as moving the vehicle for maintenance, fueling, or washing.

A late filing fee will be applied if the GPS data, trip reports, and fuel receipts are not submitted to our office by the 15th of the month following the end of a quarter.

In today's age of automation, all records for each filing must be consistent. We will make sure that the IFTA, IRP, state mileage, state gross receipts, state franchise, state property tax reports, as well as any state or federal questionnaires or reports, are in alignment to avoid a possible audit.

Dash Cameras

Enhance your fleet's compliance and greatly improve safety with a complete solution from Humphrey Transportation Compliance, LLC, your official Geotab reseller.

We provide Geotab's acclaimed telematics platform integrated with the sophisticated Geotab GO Device and GO Focus AI forward-facing dashcam, offering comprehensive insights into compliance, operations, and safety, all in one system.

• Simplify Compliance & Operations with Geotab:

  • Effortless Compliance: Meet DOT requirements for Electronic Logs (ELDs), pre/post-trip inspections (DVIRs), and satisfy IFTA/IRP mileage record keeping.

• Reduce Paperwork: Digitize logs and inspections.

• Vehicle Insights: Access truck diagnostic codes and detailed fuel usage reports.

• Boost Productivity: Utilize risk, safety, and productivity reporting tools.

• Flexible & Easy: Use your smartphone or tablet (BYOD compatible) with a quick and simple device installation via the OBDII port.

  
  

Enhance Safety with the Integrated GO Focus AI Dashcam:

• Proactive Collision Reduction: AI detects tailgating, forward collision risks, and lane departures, providing alerts to help prevent incidents.

• Privacy-Focused Design: Features a road-facing lens only and records only crucial event footage (collisions, tailgating, driver button press) – no intrusive monitoring.

• Lower Costs & Liability: Event-specific video aids in driver exoneration and can help reduce accident-related costs and insurance premiums.

• Seamless Integration: Access ELD, GPS, diagnostics, and dashcam footage within your MyGeotab platform.

Your Partner in Success:

Humphrey Transportation Compliance serves as your primary contact. We manage the hardware orders, database setup, custom report creation, and assist in configuring rules specific to your fleet's requirements.

Affordable & Flexible:

We provide flexible choices with no need for long-term contracts for our Dashcam, ELD, and mileage tracking services.