Transportation Department releases monthly Significant Rulemakings Report after brief hiatus

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently published its monthly public Significant Rulemaking Report, which provides a summary and status for all major rule making currently under consideration by the department.

The reports’ publication were temporarily paused to changes in administrations and in subsequent evaluations of departmental rulemaking priorities in accordance with two Trump-signed Executive Orders, E.O. 13771 and E.O. 13777, according to the DOT.

Twenty-four updates were provided for the Federal Aviation Administration, including a new requirement that certain airport certificate holders develop, implement, maintain, and adhere to safety management systems (SMS) for its aviation-related activities.

According to the report, SMS is a formalized approach to managing safety by developing an organization-wide safety policy, developing formal methods of identifying hazards and mitigating risk.

Twelve updates were listed for the Federal Highway Administration, including provisions related to pavement markings, highway worker safety, air quality improvement programs, and covered heavy-duty tow and recovery vehicles.

The department also provided 13 updates for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, with rulemakings ranging from carrier safety fitness determinations to heavy vehicle speed limiters.

Additionally, nine updates were listed for the Federal Railroad Administration, six for the Federal Transit Administration, 22 for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10 for the Office of the Secretary, and nine for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.