News & Insights

The 2025-2026 school year is already half-way over, and for many contractors this means peak sports and activities season is only right around the corner. As contractors know, there is plenty of extra work to go around during this time of year, and many drivers jump at the opportunity to pick up extra trips. Although it is great to have employees eager to take on additional work, transportation contractors should be mindful of federal hours of service requirements, and ensure that their drivers ...

Once again, marijuana is in the spotlight. On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14370 on expanding medical marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD) research, with the goal of rescheduling marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. Some may recall that the Biden Administration began taking similar steps in 2024. Continue reading for a brief discussion on the recent history of marijuana reclassification, what Executive Order 14370 accomplishes, and what considerations ...

Everyone knows that immigration has been a top priority for the Trump Administration. Recent developments out of Washington D.C. signify a tightening of federal oversight of commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued to individuals domiciled outside of the United States. For employers in the transportation industry, a new interim final rule proposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) will have an effect on employees holding a ...

As a school bus contractor, ensuring that your drivers meet all federal and state safety regulations is one of the most critical parts of your operation. In recent years, much attention has been given to the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, an online system that tracks drug and alcohol violations for commercial drivers. However, many school bus contractors may not know that they are still required to run manual inquiries on certain CDL drivers. If your new driver has experience under anothe...

On December 2, 2024, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published an extension of the Under the Hood Exemption (the “Exemption”) in the Federal Register. As school transportation contractors know, FMCSA initially granted the NSTA Request for the Under the Hood Exemption in October 2022, after a series of prior waivers, for an Exemption period of two years beginning on November 27, 2022 and ending November 27, 2024. The Exemption period has now been extended by FMCSA for an...

As you may have heard, a proposal has been made by the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to Schedule III on the basis that marijuana has a currently accepted medical use and does not have the same level of abuse potential or level of physical or psychological dependence as other Schedule I drugs, consistent with the Department of Health and Human Services views on marijuana. The DEA filed a No...

Often, school bus contractors, repair facilities, and school bus OEMs and resellers may find themselves in a situation where they have an empty school bus that needs to be moved, but do not have a driver with a P endorsement readily available to drive. Recently, this issue has been tackled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”), so continue reading for an overview of what the law currently requires, and what updates may be on the way.