What Drivers, Operators and Owners Need to Know to Stay Safe on the Road
Stay ahead of trucking industry changes with new trucking laws and insurance regulations for 2025 to keep your drivers, operators and commercial trucking companies safe and compliant on the road.
According to the American Trucking Association, a 2024 report shows that trucks moved 11.18 billion tons of freight in 2023 with an industry sector growth to $987 billion in revenue (up from $940 billion in 2022), and over 8.5 million people employed in trucking industry-related jobs, including 3.55 million professional drivers.
To help drivers, fleet managers and insurance agents navigate compliance, ensure safety, and keep operations running smoothly, here are the key changes in 2025:
- Elimination of MC numbers: By October 2025, the FMCSA will stop using MC numbers and transition to USDOT numbers. This change aims to reduce fraud and make registration easier.
- Automatic emergency braking: All new trucks must have automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems starting in January 2025.
- Physical qualification standards: New standards for drivers with epilepsy take effect in June 2025.
- Truck speed limiters: Speed limiters will be enforced on heavy-duty trucks starting in May 2025.
- Electronic Logging Device (ELD) requirements: ELD regulations for pre-2000 engines will be extended to June 2025.
- Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse: Stricter measures will be implemented to ensure compliance with the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.
In 2025 as well, trucking insurance is expected to change due to rising premiums, new regulations, and evolving risk factors such as cargo theft, high risk cargo such as high value or hazardous materials, increased operational costs due to wider operational radius, aged trucks in poor condition or an expanded fleet of larger truck sizes.
Here’s what you need to know about new insurance guidelines:
- Insurance gaps: The US Department of Transportation (DOT) will create a strategy to address insurance gaps for new heavy-duty truck technologies. This could include establishing a risk pool to help truck owners get insurance.
- Crash categories : The FMCSA’s CPDP will be expanded to include four new crash categories. This change will allow fleet owners to contest more types of accidents as non-preventable.
- Bad brokers: The FMCSA will use its Unified Registration System (URS) platform to suspend brokers who experience financial failure or insolvency. This rule should reduce fraud.
- Physical damage coverage: Physical damage coverage may rise by 20-25% in 2025. Increases are particularly attributed to the rise of catastrophic losses due to weather factors like wildfires, flooding, and storms.
To prepare for these new laws, trucking companies can regularly monitor updates from the FMCSA, adjust new commercial insurance needs, train staff in proactive compliance to stay ahead and help minimize disruptions and provide more opportunities for savings and efficiency.
Stay ahead, stay updated and stay safe on the road.
About Get Logan
At Get Logan Inc., we pride ourselves on being more than just an insurance provider, we’re your trusted partner in safeguarding your business. Whether you’re managing a fleet of trucks, operating as a freight broker, or running a small business, our team of experts is here to ensure you have the right coverage for every aspect of your operations. For more information visit https://www.getlogan.com/
