FMCSA Updates Handbook for Inspecting Radioactive Trucks
Published Date: 11/19/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The FMCSA wants to update the rules for inspecting trucks carrying dangerous radioactive materials by using the newest safety handbook from 2025. This change helps inspectors across the country follow the same clear rules, making roads safer for everyone. Truck drivers and companies hauling hazardous materials should get ready, and comments on this update are open until December 19, 2025.
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Update to 2025 Inspection Handbook
FMCSA proposes to replace the April 1, 2024 reference with the April 1, 2025 edition of the CVSA handbook used for Level VI inspections of transuranic waste and highway route-controlled quantities of radioactive material. The agency says incorporation of the April 1, 2025 edition does not impose new regulatory requirements; comments are due by December 19, 2025.
CLP Accompanying Driver Must Hold Valid CDL
The 2025 handbook clarifies that a commercial learner's permit (CLP) holder's accompanying driver cannot be unauthorized to drive; the accompanying driver must be a valid CDL holder authorized to operate the vehicle for that trip. FMCSA says this change aligns handbook language with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
Medical Certificate Treated as Imminent Hazard
The handbook language was amended to include both passenger-carrying and property-carrying vehicles and clarifies that operating without a Medical Examiner's Certificate (Form MCSA-5876) is an imminent hazard. FMCSA incorporated that change into the 2025 edition's OOS guidance.
Brake-System OOS Criteria Clarified
The 2025 handbook clarifies multiple brake-related OOS conditions: (1) inoperative electric trailer brakes caused by an unplugged electrical cable or a disconnected service gladhand will be recorded as a single OOS violation rather than multiple violations; (2) crimped air hoses/tubing were removed from OOS criteria (still must be repaired before next dispatch); (3) any brake hose/line marked for non-brake use (e.g., fuel line) is an OOS condition; and (4) the tractor protection system (TPS) is OOS if it fails to close automatically before pressure drops below 20 psi in both primary and secondary air systems.
Tire Inspection and Mudflap Clarifications
The 2025 handbook revises tire OOS rules: for tires without ATIS, the tread area is the relevant place to identify a noticeable leak; any tire with a sidewall leak is an OOS condition regardless of ATIS; a mudflap's rubber portion contacting a tire alone is not an OOS condition; and CVSA removed the radial vs. bias tire distinctions and consolidated criteria to apply to all tires.
Cargo, Lamps, and Axle-Part Clarifications
The 2025 handbook clarifies that loose dunnage, spare tires, or similar items falling onto the roadway are vehicle OOS conditions (not automatically driver OOS); it adds a section addressing projecting-load lamps (unique operation and OOS criteria); and specifies that a U-bolt bottom plate is part of the U-bolt assembly and is an OOS condition if cracked or broken.
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