WASHINGTON — Violating Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations will cost more in 2024.
A final rule on the matter is scheduled to be published on the Federal Register on Thursday, Dec. 28. Other federal agencies that fall under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Transportation are also announcing penalty increases.
Federal law allows fine adjustments to be made annually due to inflation.
The changes are based off guidance released earlier this month by the White House Office of Management and Budget. The latest adjustment is determined by multiplying the maximum or minimum penalty amount by the percent change between the October 2022 and October 2023 consumer price index for all urban consumers.
In this case, the previous fine amounts were multiplied by 1.03241.
Fee increase examples include:
- The maximum fine for inadequate recordkeeping will rise from $14,960 to $15,445.
- The fine for knowingly falsifying records will rise that same amount.
- One of the heftiest fine increases comes for violations of hazardous materials regulations and safety permitting regulations. That fine rises from $96,624 to $99,756.
- The fine for hazardous materials violations that result in death, serious illness, severe injury to persons or destruction of property will rise from $225,455 to $232,762.
For a complete list of fine increases, click here.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
