DOT increases penalties

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced a 1.06 percent increase to civil penalties for all modes, including highway. The increase is permitted under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act and is intended to maintain the financial motivation for DOT-regulated employers to abide by federal regulations.

The increases apply to 68 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation (FMCSR) violations, including violations related to:

• Out-of-service orders
• Recordkeeping
• Non-recordkeeping
• Hazardous materials regulations
• Commercial regulations
• Operating authority requirement
• Tariffs
• Loading and unloading
• Evasion of U. S. Codes
• Reporting and recordkeeping

The increase goes into effect on March 21, 2022. For a full list of penalties that are affected by the increase, see 49 CFR part 386 Appendices A and B.