The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a final rule adopting certain regulations required by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) enacted on December 4, 2015.

Some notable changes to the grant programs administered by FMCSA include consolidation of the Border Enforcement, New Entrant, and portions of the Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) and Commercial Motor Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) grants into the formula Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grant.

Each State is now required to fully participate in the PRISM program by October 1, 2020, as a condition of receiving funding under MCSAP.

The FAST Act also created a standalone High Priority Program for financial assistance with two major purposes: activities related to motor carrier safety and Innovative Technology Deployment (ITD). The ITD program modifies and replaces the FMCSA’s Commercial Motor Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) program.

Also, the Safety Data Improvement Program and PRISM grants, which were previously standalone grant programs, have been merged into the High Priority Program.

The final rule implementing these changes is a nondiscretionary, ministerial action that does not require prior notice and public comment under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Click here to read the Federal Register notice.