Regulatory Roundup
Stay informed about the latest developments and actionable deadlines related to regulatory issues affecting the motorcoach, charter, and group tour and travel industries. This page will be updated monthly along with the Driving Policy newsletter.
Timely Reminders
Brake Safety Week Coming
Brake Safety Week 2025 will take place from August 24 to 30, 2025. This annual event, organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), focuses on inspecting commercial vehicles for brake-related violations to improve road safety. The 2025 event will specifically emphasize brake drums and rotors.
Stop on Red Week
Stop on Red Week is observed across the country every year during the first whole week of August — August 3 to 9 this year — to highlight the significance of red traffic lights and to curb the deaths caused by breaking the red-light rule. While following basic traffic rules might seem easy, statistics say at least 50 million people are injured or disabled by road traffic crashes yearly. Join the cause and make the roads safer by spreading the word about why we must obey the road safety laws. It is your responsibility to save lives and protect those around you.
MC Numbers to Sunset
The FMCSA has announced some major changes, perhaps none more significant than overhauling its carrier identification system. By Oct. 1, 2025, the agency plans to phase out Motor Carrier (MC) numbers and transition entirely to USDOT numbers. By eliminating MC numbers and forcing all authority records to be tracked under a single USDOT number, FMCSA hopes to reduce fraud and hold carriers more accountable for their history.
Waiver Issued for Digital CDL Medical Qualification Transition
On July 14, 2025, FMCSA granted a waiver allowing interstate commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders, commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders, and motor carriers to continue relying paper copies of medical examiner’s certificates as proof of drivers’ medical certification for up to 15 days after the date the medical examiner’s certificate is issued. The waiver is in effect until October 12, 2025, and a copy of the waiver is available online.
New Rules & Important Notices
FY 2025 Intercity Bus Security Grants Two Week Application Window Opens
On August 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released the FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Announcement for the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP). The total funding amount available for FY 2025 is $1.8 million. Completed applications are due by August 15, 2025.
New $250 Visa Integrity Fee Established
The visa integrity fee is a new $250 fee for nonimmigrant visa applicants applying for a U.S. visa. It is intended to be a refundable security deposit, with potential refunds available for those who adhere to visa terms and depart the U.S. on time or adjust their status legally. The fee applies to most nonimmigrant visa categories, but some countries, including those participating in the Visa Waiver Program, are exempt. The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables citizens of select countries to visit the United States for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without requiring a visa. The new fee is scheduled to go into effect Oct. 1, 2025.
Department of Transportation Requests Highway Reauthorization Policy Suggestions
On June 24, the Department of Transportation announced its request for information, suggestions, and ideas on policy and funding recommendations for the pending Highway Reauthorization legislation. ABA strongly supports a range of policy priorities that are important to the motorcoach industry. Click here to submit comments. Comments are due August 20, 2025.
FTA Releases Guidance on FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games Transportation
On July 31, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released a video series providing guidance to public transit agencies, private bus operators and host cities as they prepare to move millions of fans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. DOT is laying the groundwork in preparation for the World Cup next year. This video series follows guidance initiated through a “Dear Colleague” letter, providing technical assistance and support for federal grant recipients related to events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
FMCSA Requests Comment on DataQs Process
FMCSA is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to the DataQs system, specifically related to the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grant funding. This notice outlines proposed changes aimed at increasing efficiency, predictability, fairness, and transparency in the review process for data related to motor carrier safety. Click here to file comments. The comment period is open until September 2, 2025.
FMCSA & NHTSA Withdraw Speed Limiter Rulemaking
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have officially withdrawn their jointly proposed rule to mandate speed limiters on commercial motor vehicles. This decision reverses a previous initiative to regulate speed on large commercial vehicles. The withdrawal follows concerns about insufficient data, economic impacts, and potential safety implications. The withdrawal took effect on July 24, 2025.
DHS Makes Public a Review of Employment Authorization Status
Employers can now use E-Verify to regularly generate status change reports that identify whether an employee’s Employment Authorization Document has been revoked or terminated. This process will alert employers to certain (immigrant) aliens whose authorization to be in the US legally has been terminated. These revocations may be on a case-by-case basis or may be for groups, such as aliens paroled through the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV).
On July 1, 2025, DHS terminated the designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Haiti’s TPS designation and related benefits were slated to terminate on Sept. 2, 2025. However, on July 15, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued a final judgment in Haitian Evangelical Clergy Ass’n v. Trump, No. 25-cv-1464, that makes the effective date of any termination no earlier than Feb. 3, 2026.
SBA Issues Guidance Expanding Retirement Plan Options for Small Employers
On July 29, the Small Business Administration released interpretive guidance and a request for information to help small employers select high-quality, low-cost “pooled employer plans” or “PEPs.” Pooled Employer Plans enable participating employers to collaborate and offer their employees a workplace retirement savings option. The interpretive guidance addresses the limits of a participating employer’s responsibility in selecting and managing a PEP, including how it can be further alleviated. It offers some commonsense suggestions for how that responsibility might ultimately be satisfied. The public is asked to submit comments on market practices associated with PEPs, which SBA intends to consider as a basis for a regulatory safe harbor that will further encourage market participants to offer and employers to join well-designed PEPs.
Furthermore, PEPs have the potential to provide diversified investment lineups at a lower cost than small plans could likely negotiate on their own. Comments are due by September 29, 2025.
OSHA Heat Standard Public Hearings Request for Comments
An informal public hearing on OSHA’s Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule took place virtually through July 2, 2025. The hearings are available daily to the public for live viewing on YouTube. A post-hearing docket is open for public comment through September 30, 2025
Deregulation Efforts Sprint Ahead in the Labor and Workplace Health & Safety Sector
Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting Requirements; Withdrawal
OSHA is withdrawing the proposal to amend the OSHA 300 Log by adding a column that employers would use to record work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Withdrawal of the proposal does not change any employer’s obligation to complete and retain occupational injury and illness records under OSHA’s regulations. Effective July 1.
Rescission of Nondiscrimination and Equal-Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act
The DOL is rescinding its regulations implementing the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which contain the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of WIA. In 2014, Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which repealed WIA and required the Secretary of Labor to transition any authority under WIA to the system created by the WIOA. The DOL is taking this action to remove regulations for a program that is no longer operative. The final rule is effective Sept. 2 unless significant adverse comments are received by July 31.
Construction Standards: Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health
This final rule revokes 29 CFR 1911.10, which required the assistant secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, who heads OSHA, to consult with the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health in the formulation of rules to promulgate, modify or revoke standards applicable to construction work, and 29 CFR 1912.3, the general OSHA regulations governing ACCSH. This final rule also makes corresponding changes to 29 CFR 1911.11, 29 CFR 1911.15, 29 CFR 1912.8 and 29 CFR 1912.9. OSHA is revoking 29 CFR 1911.10 and 29 CFR 1912.3 because these regulations impose requirements on the assistant secretary that are more burdensome than those mandated by statute, and compliance with these regulations would needlessly delay the Secretary of Labor’s regulatory agenda. According to the DOL, these changes will ensure that ACCSH is able to advise the secretary on potential regulatory actions without adversely affecting the agency’s regulatory timeline. The final rule took effect on July 1, 2025.
Employment and Training Administration
Proposed Rule: Prohibiting Illegal Discrimination in Registered Apprenticeship Programs
The DOL is issuing this proposed rule to remove undue regulatory burdens on registered apprenticeship program sponsors. The proposal would rescind specific regulatory provisions that the agency believes are unlawful. It also includes conforming, technical changes to the DOL’s regulation that addresses Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs. This proposed rule would streamline and simplify sponsors’ obligations, while maintaining broad and effective nondiscrimination protections for apprentices and those seeking entry into apprenticeship programs. The deadline for comments is Sept. 2.
General Duty Clause
Among the most notable proposals is OSHA’s move to clarify its interpretation of the General Duty Clause. Under the proposed rule, OSHA would no longer cite employers for hazards that are “inherent and inseparable from the core nature of a professional activity or performance.” The change could significantly narrow the agency’s enforcement reach, particularly in high-risk industries where certain hazards are considered intrinsic to the work itself. As examples, OSHA refers to specific occupations within industries such as entertainment, recreation, schools and instruction, animal care, and journalism. Comments are Due by September 2, 2025.
Recording musculoskeletal disorders
Deregulation is further reflected in OSHA’s decision to withdraw a previously proposed rule that would have added a column to the OSHA 300 Log for recording musculoskeletal disorders. The agency cited stakeholder concerns and a lack of necessity or usefulness as reasons for terminating the rulemaking process. OSHA’s withdrawal of the proposal does not affect employers’ existing obligations to complete, retain, or use the same criteria and definitions for occupational injury and illness records. This withdrawal took effect on July 1, 2025.
Coordinated enforcement
In addition, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposes removing regulatory procedures for coordinated enforcement activities related to migrant farmworkers by OSHA, the Wage and Hour Division, and the Employment and Training Administration. The DOL asserts it is recommending the removal of these regulations because they restrict the agency’s flexibility, create redundant internal procedures, and hinder more efficient coordination among agencies. Comments are Due by September 2, 2025.
OSHA Regulatory Revisions
OSHA proposes to eliminate or revise numerous regulatory requirements that the agency considers outdated, duplicative, or overly rigid. These proposals include:
Removing OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard and associated recordkeeping and reporting requirements, as listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Comments are due by September 2, 2025.
Rescinding construction illumination requirements, asserting that the current standard “is not reasonably necessary or appropriate” under the Occupational Safety and Health Act “because it does not reduce a significant risk to workers.” Comments are due by September 2, 2025.
Eliminating or revising a number of respiratory protection standards to address duplicative regulations or to better align with OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard, including specific hazards such as those related to vinyl chloride, formaldehyde, and acrylonitrile. Comments are due by September 2, 2025.
Revising substance-specific respirator requirements to permit the use of different respirator types to align with OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard, including hazards such as inorganic arsenic, methylene chloride, lead, 1,3-butadiene, carcinogens, 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane, benzene, methylenedianiline, cadmium, cotton dust, coke oven emissions, asbestos, and ethylene oxide; Comments are Due by September 2, 2025.
Removing certain OSHA safety color code and marking standards, asserting that the hazards addressed are already covered by other federal, state, and local requirements. Comments are due September 2, 2025.
Eliminating some medical evaluation requirements in OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Rule for certain respirators, impacting filtering facepiece and loose-fitting powered air-purifying respirators. Comments are due September 2, 2025.
Office of Labor-Management Standards
Filing Thresholds for Forms LM-2, LM-3, and LM-4 Labor Organization Annual Reports
This proposed rule revises the filing thresholds in 29 CFR 403.4(a) for the Forms LM-2, LM-3 and LM-4 Labor Organization Annual Reports. In this proposed rule, the DOL proposes to increase the filing thresholds as follows: labor organizations with $450,000 or more in annual receipts must file Form LM-2; those with less than $450,000 may choose to file Form LM-3; and those with less than $25,000 may choose to file Form LM-4. According to the DOL, these increases are necessary to reflect economic changes and reduce unnecessary reporting burdens on labor organizations whose total receipts, prior to adjusting for inflation, should not necessitate greater filing requirements. The deadline for comments was July 31.
