About this Guide
Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) regulations exist to ensure the safety of the motoring public; however, the same regulations that were created to ensure the trucking industry operates safely created a “knowledge gap” between certified CMV inspectors and others in law enforcement.
In response to this “knowledge gap”, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) jointly developed this “North American Standard CMV Awareness Training” for officers from state, local and county law enforcement agencies.
Purpose
The purpose of this awareness training is to provide law enforcement officers with the safety and enforcement information for handling accidents and traffic violations involving CMVs or buses. If there are any questions, law enforcement officers should always refer to department policy and take appropriate action.
The continuing theme of this training is officer safety. Module 1 is dedicated to officer safety and there are safety tips located in every module of the training.
Regardless of previous experiences executing traffic stops on a CMV, this training is designed to arm officers with the information necessary to deal with the encounter.
Goal
The goal of the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Awareness Training is to educate law officials on the correct way to do basic enforcement on CMVs. This course is also concerned with officer safety while dealing with CMVs.
NOTE: Please note that on the last page of the Guide, the web link to the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) program is now https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/ticketing-aggressive-cars-and-trucks/ticketing-aggressive-cars-and-trucks-tact.
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