DOT Enforcement & Regulatory Updates

CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week

Law enforcement personnel throughout North America interacted with 8,083 drivers on roadways during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week and issued 3,409 warnings and 1,956 tickets/citations to commercial motor vehicle drivers, and 559 warnings and 648 tickets/citations to passenger vehicle drivers for various unsafe driving behaviors. The focus of this year’s event was reckless, careless and dangerous driving. Law enforcement agencies representing 36 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces and Mexico participated in this year’s initiative.

CVSA Hazmat Inspection

CVSA has announced the results of an unannounced Hazmat inspection blitz in the U.S. and Canada during which 5,046 commercial vehicles were inspected. As a result, 794 power units and 393 trailers received CVSA decals for not having any critical or specification cargo tank violations. On the other hand, 683 vehicles (13.5%) were placed out of service. The OOS rate in the U.S. was 12.1%, and in Canada it was 19.8%. The top OOS violations were:

• Cargo Securement: 128 OOS violations
• Hazmat Registrations: 47 OOS violations
• Shipping Papers: 57 OOS violations
• Placarding: 55 OOS violations
• Package Integrity / Leaking Packages: 29 OOS violations (actively leaking hazardous materials)
• Markings: 20 OOS violations
• Hazmat Endorsements: 16 OOS violations
• Hazmat Safety Permits: 8 OOS violations
• Undeclared / Misdeclared Packages: 5 undeclared packages in the U.S. and 24 misdeclared dangerous-goods packages in Canada

Operation Space Cadet

The Pendleton District of the Indiana State Police conducted Operation Space Cadet along Interstate 70 in Henry and Wayne counties on September 15, 2026. This was an enforcement initiative focusing on commercial motor vehicles and semi-trucks maintaining unsafe following distances in an active I-70 construction zone with the following results:

• Traffic Stops: 228
• Citations: 159
• Warnings: 132
• Commercial Motor Vehicle Violations: 53
• Arrests: 16

Before enforcement the construction zone averaged about eight crashes per week, including three involving injuries. During enforcement the total crashes dropped to three during the operation window, with zero personal-injury crashes reported. There is no explanation of why the action was titled Operation Space Cadet.

Medical Examiner’s Certificate Exemption

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced that 49 states have complied with the requirement that the Medical Examiner’s Certification (MEC) be uploaded electronically each time a Medical Examiner completes a physical. The exception is Alaska and they have a one-year exemption which allows those drivers to continue to carry a paper copy of the MEC as proof of the driver’s medical certification. Drivers licensed in all other states and the District of Columbia may no longer rely on the paper MEC for any period of time after October 12, 2026.

Pause 14-Hour Window

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing a  pilot program to allow commercial drivers to pause their 14-Hour driving window. This research study will collect data on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers to examine if extending the 14- hour ‘‘driving window’’ with up to 3 hours of off duty, sleeper berth, or on- duty/not driving time (provided it is taken at the location of cargo delivery or pickup) improves the working conditions and quality of life of America’s truck drivers and result in an equivalent or greater level of safety relative to operations under the current regulations. Approximately 256 CMV drivers will provide data in the study. The study will provide FMCSA with data to examine driver fatigue and driving performance while operating under current hours of service (HOS) regulations and while operating under split duty period (SDP) exemptions.