New Bus Leasing Regulations

The FMCSA recently adopted brand new leasing regulations for passenger carriers.  The bus leasing regulations, which go into effect on January 1, 2017, are very similar to the leasing regulations which have been in effect for many years for trucking companies. The stated reason for the new regulations is to ensure that passenger carriers cannot evade FMCSA enforcement by entering into questionable lease arrangements to operate under the authority of another carrier that exercises no real control over the operations. The new rules will help FMCSA identify bus carriers transporting passengers in interstate commerce and assign responsibility to these entities for regulatory violations discovered during inspections.