Federal regulators are dropping a decades-old paperwork exercise for commercial trucking fleets, calling the rule to track vehicle tire sizes through maintenance files outdated.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the change Tuesday to Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, eliminating the tire size recordkeeping requirement under Section 396.3(b)(1).
Under the revised text for 49 CFR § 396.3(b)(1), motor carriers must still maintain identification records for each vehicle—including company number, make, serial number, and year—but are no longer required to document tire size in those files.
First established by the Federal Highway Administration in 1979 to track safety defects, the requirement to keep tire size records on file in carrier offices is now considered obsolete by safety officials because commercial tire safety is already enforced through mandatory annual DOT inspections, roadside checks, and standard safety rules.
The move reflects a broader push within the U.S. Department of Transportation to purge redundant regulations and adapt to modern fleet technology, where automated monitoring systems and digital maintenance tracking have largely replaced manual paperwork.
Other amendments and changes
The rule change is part of a package of technical updates issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the Federal Register, all taking effect July 21.
In addition to the tire recordkeeping relief, the FMCSA’s final rule detailed several technical adjustments and clarifications that fleet managers and compliance officers should note:
- GVWR definition clarified: The agency updated language under 49 CFR § 390.5 and § 390.5T regarding Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings. The FMCSA clarified that any vehicle manufactured with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more is permanently classified as a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV), regardless of its actual or unladen weight at any given time.
- Foreign driver background checks: The rule corrects language in 49 CFR § 391.23(a)(1) regarding mandatory three-year driving history inquiries. Carriers must request Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs) from "driver's licensing authorities" rather than strictly state agencies, ensuring fleets properly check background records for drivers licensed by foreign authorities.
- U.S.–Canada cross-border med variances: Regulations under 49 CFR § 391.41 were updated to specify that U.S. drivers operating with an "exemption or waiver" are barred from cross-border operations into Canada under reciprocal agreements. The change fixes an error that had inadvertently included drivers operating with Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) certificates for limb loss or impairment.
- Simplified rulemaking petitions: Fleet operators seeking to petition the FMCSA to create, amend, or remove safety regulations can now submit requests directly through www.regulations.gov under docket FMCSA-2021-0054.
Because the updates consist of technical corrections, language clarifications, and the removal of obsolete rules, the FMCSA issued the final rule without a prior public comment period. Fleet managers facing administrative penalties or compliance reviews under these specific sections can submit petitions for reconsideration to the FMCSA Administrator by Aug. 20, 2026.
