The core rules of commercial driving

The federal motor carrier rules are the FMCSA’s rulebook for driving a truck or bus for a living. Four pillars hold it up: who may drive, what you may drive, how long you may drive, and in what condition. Master these four and the rest of the rulebook becomes detail.

In this chapter

Who the federal rules actually cover — where the interstate line falls, and why a commercial driver’s license is a separate question from it
What makes a vehicle a commercial motor vehicle, and which of the three license classes a given vehicle needs
The shape of the day: the hours-of-service envelope, and the standing duties that keep you and the vehicle fit to drive