This page tracks notable regulatory changes in CDL licensing, driver compliance, and trucking operations that affect the content on CDL List. Entries are not exhaustive — we note changes that affect pages on this site and link to the official source.
For the full regulatory record, see the FMCSA Federal Register entries and the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
The Department of Labor published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on February 26, 2026, proposing changes to independent contractor classification under the FLSA. The proposed rule would affect how owner-operators and lease-on drivers are classified. The 2024 final rule (effective March 11, 2024) remains in effect during the comment period.
FMCSA set the minimum random drug testing rate at 50% of the average number of driver positions for 2025. DOT confirmed the rate remains at 50% for drug testing and 10% for alcohol testing in 2026 as well — unchanged from the prior year. Carriers should confirm their testing consortium reflects the current rate. Check DOT ODAPC for the latest annual rate announcements.
The Department of Labor's final rule on independent contractor classification under the FLSA became effective March 11, 2024. The rule restored a multi-factor "economic reality" test and rescinded the 2021 rule that had emphasized two "core factors." Impact on owner-operators and lease-on arrangements varies by operational structure.
The 2020 HOS final rule extended the short-haul exemption radius from 100 air-miles to 150 air-miles and increased the maximum on-duty time under the short-haul exemption from 12 to 14 hours. These changes remain in effect. CDL List content reflects the post-2020 rules.
Effective January 6, 2023 (Phase 2), a Clearinghouse full query conducted at or after hire satisfies the previous employer drug and alcohol inquiry requirement under 49 CFR 391.23. Employers no longer need to separately contact each previous employer for violations history — the Clearinghouse covers it. The annual query structure is unchanged: annual limited queries remain valid, and a "record exists" result on a limited query still triggers a required follow-up full query. Pre-employment full queries were already required under Phase 1.
The FMCSA's ELDT final rule (originally set for 2020, delayed to 2022) became effective February 7, 2022. New applicants for a Class A or Class B CDL, and applicants adding certain endorsements (Passenger, School Bus, or HazMat), must complete training from a provider registered on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry (TPR) before taking the skills or knowledge test.