§ 31102. Grants to States

(a) General Authority.— Subject to this section and the availability of amounts, the Secretary of Transportation may make grants to States for the development or implementation of programs for improving motor carrier safety and the enforcement of regulations, standards, and orders of the United States Government on commercial motor vehicle safety, hazardous materials transportation safety, and compatible State regulations, standards, and orders.

(b) State Plan Procedures and Contents.—

(1) The Secretary shall prescribe procedures for a State to submit a plan under which the State agrees to assume responsibility for improving motor carrier safety and to adopt and enforce regulations, standards, and orders of the Government on commercial motor vehicle safety, hazardous materials transportation safety, or compatible State regulations, standards, and orders. The Secretary shall approve the plan if the Secretary decides the plan is adequate to promote the objectives of this section and the plan—

(A) implements performance-based activities, including deployment of technology to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of commercial motor vehicle safety programs;

(B) designates the State motor vehicle safety agency responsible for administering the plan throughout the State;

(C) contains satisfactory assurances the agency has or will have the legal authority, resources, and qualified personnel necessary to enforce the regulations, standards, and orders;

(D) contains satisfactory assurances the State will devote adequate amounts to the administration of the plan and enforcement of the regulations, standards, and orders;

(E) provides that the total expenditure of amounts of the State and its political subdivisions (not including amounts of the Government) for commercial motor vehicle safety programs for enforcement of commercial motor vehicle size and weight limitations, drug interdiction, and State traffic safety laws and regulations under subsection (c) of this section will be maintained at a level at least equal to the average level of that expenditure for the 3 full fiscal years beginning after October 1 of the year 5 years prior to the beginning of each Government fiscal year.^[1]

(F) provides a right of entry and inspection to carry out the plan;

(G) provides that all reports required under this section be submitted to the agency and that the agency will make the reports available to the Secretary on request;

(H) provides that the agency will adopt the reporting requirements and use the forms for recordkeeping, inspections, and investigations the Secretary prescribes;

(I) requires registrants of commercial motor vehicles to make a declaration of knowledge of applicable safety regulations, standards, and orders of the Government and the State;

(J) provides that the State will grant maximum reciprocity for inspections conducted under the North American Inspection Standard through the use of a nationally accepted system that allows ready identification of previously inspected commercial motor vehicles;

(K) ensures that activities described in subsection (c)(1) of this section, if financed with grants under subsection (a) of this section, will not diminish the effectiveness of the development and implementation of commercial motor vehicle safety programs described in subsection (a);

(L) ensures that the State agency will coordinate the plan, data collection, and information systems with State highway safety programs under title 23;

(M) ensures participation in SAFETYNET and other information systems by all appropriate jurisdictions receiving funding under this section;

(N) ensures that information is exchanged among the States in a timely manner;

(O) provides satisfactory assurances that the State will undertake efforts that will emphasize and improve enforcement of State and local traffic safety laws and regulations related to commercial motor vehicle safety;

(P) provides satisfactory assurances that the State will promote activities in support of national priorities and performance goals, including—

(i) activities aimed at removing impaired commercial motor vehicle drivers from the highways of the United States through adequate enforcement of regulations on the use of alcohol and controlled substances and by ensuring ready roadside access to alcohol detection and measuring equipment;

(ii) activities aimed at providing an appropriate level of training to State motor carrier safety assistance program officers and employees on recognizing drivers impaired by alcohol or controlled substances; and

(iii) interdiction activities affecting the transportation of controlled substances by commercial motor vehicle drivers and training on appropriate strategies for carrying out those interdiction activities;

(Q) provides that the State has established a program to ensure that—

(i) accurate, complete, and timely motor carrier safety data is collected and reported to the Secretary; and

(ii) the State will participate in a national motor carrier safety data correction system prescribed by the Secretary;

(R) ensures that the State will cooperate in the enforcement of registration requirements under section 13902 and financial responsibility requirements under sections 13906, 31138, and 31139 and regulations issued thereunder;

(S) ensures consistent, effective, and reasonable sanctions;

(T) ensures that roadside inspections will be conducted at a location that is adequate to protect the safety of drivers and enforcement personnel;

(U) provides that the State will include in the training manual for the licensing examination to drive a noncommercial motor vehicle and a commercial motor vehicle, information on best practices for driving safely in the vicinity of noncommercial and commercial motor vehicles;

(V) provides that the State will enforce the registration requirements of section 13902 by prohibiting the operation of any vehicle discovered to be operated by a motor carrier without a registration issued under such section or to operate beyond the scope of such registration;

(W) provides that the State will conduct comprehensive and highly visible traffic enforcement and commercial motor vehicle safety inspection programs in high-risk locations and corridors; and

(X) except in the case of an imminent or obvious safety hazard, ensures that an inspection of a vehicle transporting passengers for a motor carrier of passengers is conducted at a station, terminal, border crossing, maintenance facility, destination, or other location where a motor carrier may make a planned stop.

(2) If the Secretary disapproves a plan under this subsection, the Secretary shall give the State a written explanation and allow the State to modify and resubmit the plan for approval.

(3) In estimating the average level of State expenditure under paragraph (1)(E) of this subsection, the Secretary—

(A) may allow the State to exclude State expenditures for Government-sponsored demonstration or pilot programs; and

(B) shall require the State to exclude Government amounts and State matching amounts used to receive Government financing under subsection (a) of this section.

(1) for the following activities if the activities are carried out in conjunction with an appropriate inspection of the commercial motor vehicle to enforce Government or State commercial motor vehicle safety regulations:

(A) enforcement of commercial motor vehicle size and weight limitations at locations other than fixed weight facilities, at specific locations such as steep grades or mountainous terrains where the weight of a commercial motor vehicle can significantly affect the safe operation of the vehicle, or at ports where intermodal shipping containers enter and leave the United States; and

(B) detection of the unlawful presence of a controlled substance (as defined under section 102 of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 (21 U.S.C. 802)) in a commercial motor vehicle or on the person of any occupant (including the operator) of the vehicle; and

(2) for documented enforcement of State traffic laws and regulations designed to promote the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles, including documented enforcement of such laws and regulations relating to noncommercial motor vehicles when necessary to promote the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles if the number of motor carrier safety activities (including roadside safety inspections) conducted in the State is maintained at a level at least equal to the average level of such activities conducted in the State in fiscal years 2003, 2004, and 2005; except that the State may not use more than 5 percent of the basic amount the State receives under the grant under subsection (a) for enforcement activities relating to noncommercial motor vehicles described in this paragraph unless the Secretary determines a higher percentage will result in significant increases in commercial motor vehicle safety.

(d) Continuous Evaluation of Plans.— On the basis of reports submitted by a State motor vehicle safety agency of a State with a plan approved under this section and the Secretary’s own investigations, the Secretary shall make a continuing evaluation of the way the State is carrying out the plan. If the Secretary finds, after notice and opportunity for comment, the State plan previously approved is not being followed or has become inadequate to ensure enforcement of the regulations, standards, or orders, the Secretary shall withdraw approval of the plan and notify the State. The plan stops being effective when the notice is received. A State adversely affected by the withdrawal may seek judicial review under chapter 7 of title 5. Notwithstanding the withdrawal, the State may retain jurisdiction in administrative or judicial proceedings begun before the withdrawal if the issues involved are not related directly to the reasons for the withdrawal.

(e) Annual Report.— The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the Senate an annual report that—

(1) analyzes commercial motor vehicle safety trends among the States and documents the most effective commercial motor vehicle safety programs implemented with grants under this section; and

(2) describes the effect of activities carried out with grants made under this section on commercial motor vehicle safety.

[1] So in original. The period probably should be a semicolon.

U.S. Code

§ 31102. Grants to States