CVSA Petitions FMCSA for In-Cab Passenger Authorization Documentation Rulemaking Amendment

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to amend Title 49 CFR § 392.60 – "Unauthorized persons not to be transported" to require written or electronic documentation of authorization for passenger(s) in a commercial motor vehicle (CMV).

The justification for this change is that human traffickers are utilizing the commercial trucking industry as a means to transport victims throughout North America. Requiring documentation of authorized passengers would allow roadside inspectors to identify any trafficking victims and prevent trafficking from happening.

While written authorization for passengers is currently required by the motor carrier including the name of the person to be transported, the points where the transportation is to begin and end, and the date upon which such authority expires, it doesn't require that the authorization be in the cab of the vehicle, but instead at the carrier's place of business.

The current regulatory requirement limits inspector's ability to identify whether the passenger is authorized as they'd need to contact the carrier and may not be able to get ahold of them. The amendment would mean inspectors would have easy access to the authorization and could potentially intervene in a situation where trafficking is occurring.