{"id":2499062,"date":"2025-10-15T08:10:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sean-duffys-deregulation-rewrites-decades-of-transportation-rules\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T08:18:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:18:02","slug":"sean-duffys-deregulation-rewrites-decades-of-transportation-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sean-duffys-deregulation-rewrites-decades-of-transportation-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Sean Duffy\u2019s deregulation rewrites decades of transportation rules"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsean-duffys-deregulation-rewrites-decades-of-transportation-rules%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2499062&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Transportation Secretary sean Duffy is leading a major deregulation effort at the Department of Transportation aimed at modernizing outdated federal rules. Since taking office, the department has implemented 157 deregulatory actions, cutting over 140,000 words from regulations and claiming $1.3 billion in cost savings. These changes focus on removing obsolete rules, particularly in trucking and automotive safety, such as withdrawing a proposal for mandatory speed limiters on heavy trucks and easing paperwork burdens.<\/p>\n<p>The department is also resetting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-trump-can-make-the-auto-industry-great-again\/\" title=\"How Trump Can Make The Auto Industry Great Again\">federal fuel economy standards<\/a> to better align with congressional intent, emphasizing realistic benchmarks for internal-combustion engines. Efforts include streamlining environmental reviews for infrastructure projects by delegating more responsibilities to states like Texas and Connecticut, aiming to speed up project approvals without sacrificing environmental protections.<\/p>\n<p>While industry groups and some officials praise the reduced administrative burden and increased flexibility, safety advocates express concern that deregulation may be proceeding too quickly and could potentially undermine safety. For example, critics highlight proposals to remove reflective tape requirements for older trailers without sufficient safety data.<\/p>\n<p>Duffy&#8217;s approach reflects a broader ideology of cutting federal involvement in slow or wasteful projects, as evidenced by rescinding $4 billion from California&#8217;s delayed high-speed rail project to redirect funds toward more viable infrastructure. The department insists safety remains a top priority and plans further reforms across rail, maritime, and emerging vehicle technologies as part of a long-term effort to update transportation regulations for the 21st century.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Inside Duffy&rsquo;s $1.3 billion deregulation drive: How Trump&rsquo;s transportation chief is rewriting Washington&rsquo;s rulebook&nbsp;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/transportation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Transportation<\/a> Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sean-duffy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sean Duffy<\/a> is moving to rewrite decades of federal rules, a sweeping deregulation drive that his allies call overdue modernization and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/electric-vehicle-battery-weight-poses-risk-for-other-drivers-experts\/\" title=\"Experts warn that the weight of electric vehicle batteries can pose a risk to other drivers.\">safety advocates warn<\/a> could cut too deep.<\/p>\n<p>According to figures shared exclusively with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, the Department of Transportation has carried out 157 deregulatory actions, cutting more than 140,000 words from the Federal Register and claiming about $1.3 billion in cost savings. Officials said each change was vetted by the department&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stb.gov\/regulatory-reform-task-force\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Regulatory Reform Task Force <\/a>to ensure safety &ldquo;is never compromised.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3849965\/supreme-court-kickstart-round-of-redistricting-louisiana\/\">Supreme Court could kickstart another round of redistricting with Louisiana race-based districting case<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3850567\/wall-street-inhales-trump-tough-guy-china\/\">Wall Street inhales as Trump plays &#8216;tough guy&#8217; with China<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3850649\/democrats-flip-america-first-script-republicans-argentina-bailout\/\">Democrats flip &lsquo;America First&rsquo; script on Republicans over Argentina bailout<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>One senior official described the process as &ldquo;clearing the underbrush,&rdquo; scrapping rules written decades ago that no longer match today&rsquo;s technology. Some requirements, the official noted, referred to equipment &ldquo;that doesn&rsquo;t even exist anymore.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Among the most visible reversals are in trucking and auto regulation. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration <a href=\"https:\/\/public-inspection.federalregister.gov\/2025-13928.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">withdrew a proposal <\/a>to require speed-limiting devices on heavy trucks, saying the rule lacked a compelling safety rationale. Another FMCSA initiative <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmcsa.dot.gov\/sites\/fmcsa.dot.gov\/files\/2025-06\/Supporting%20America%27s%20Truck%20Drivers%20-%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deleted<\/a> 1,800 words of redundant text and wiped out nearly 25,000 violations the agency called unnecessary paperwork. The department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/us-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-unveils-pro-trucker-package-part-president\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decided not to require<\/a> electronic logging devices on trucks built before 2000, citing technical limitations, and has stepped up enforcement against illegal double brokering, a practice in which freight loads are transferred to other carriers without authorization.<\/p>\n<p>The deregulatory campaign also includes a reset of federal fuel economy standards, with DOT arguing that the previous administration &ldquo;ignored statutory requirements&rdquo; by factoring in electric vehicles when setting benchmarks. <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Speaking at a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gYN2VRR1ML4&amp;list=PLmA1aGCKyNMPSpRM0TVGGyC27HWTZrCcu&amp;index=2%5C\" target=\"_blank\">Politico Live event<\/a>, Deputy Secretary Steve Bradbury&nbsp;<\/span>said the new rule &ldquo;resets&rdquo; the Corporate Average Fuel Economy program in line with congressional intent. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to make sure standards are realistic for internal-combustion and diesel-powered vehicles,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The department has also sought to speed up environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/us-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-announces-agreement-texas-help-state-build\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> approving<\/a> a first-of-its-kind agreement with Texas to give the state more control over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-narrows-federal-environmental-reviews-for-major-energy-projects\/\" title=\"Supreme Court narrows federal ... for major energy projects\">federal environmental reviews<\/a> under the National Environmental Policy Act. Instead of waiting on Washington, Texas will now handle certain federal responsibilities, a model officials say can speed up infrastructure work while preserving key environmental safeguards. A similar deal with Connecticut streamlines historic preservation reviews, and other states are exploring comparable partnerships.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters, announcing formal action against three states for failing to enforce federal English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marshall-introduces-bill-mandating-truck-drivers-speak-english\/\" title=\"Marshall Introduces Bill Mandating Truck Drivers Speak English\">commercial motor vehicle drivers<\/a>, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Manuel Balce Ceneta)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The American Public Transportation Association praised Secretary Duffy&rsquo;s early efforts to cut &ldquo;needlessly duplicative&rdquo; rules that slow down major projects. APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas said the association has urged DOT to align the NEPA projects with the faster procedures used on the highway side, where agencies can self-certify certain environmental exclusions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no reason transit projects should face more onerous requirements than highways,&rdquo; he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Streamlining NEPA reviews would save time and money while maintaining the same environmental protections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>At the Governors Highway Safety Association, Senior Director Daniel Zimmerman said state offices have seen benefits from the administration&rsquo;s early steps to reduce administrative burdens tied to highway-safety grants. But he cautioned that efficiency must not come at the expense of oversight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There needs to be a balance between appropriate oversight, making sure the funds are used as Congress intended, but also making sure there&rsquo;s not so much administrative requirement that it&rsquo;s actually impacting states&rsquo; ability to be effective in the programs they&rsquo;re delivering,&rdquo; Zimmerman said. &ldquo;States are at a point where they&rsquo;ve had to defer resources that would normally be going to safety programs just to meet these administrative requirements in the past.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The department&rsquo;s deregulatory posture has also extended to federal grantmaking. Early in his tenure, Duffy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-pulls-plug-4b-california-high-speed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rescinded $4 billion <\/a>from California&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >long-delayed high-speed rail project<\/a>,&nbsp; a move officials said underscored the administration&rsquo;s intent to focus on viable projects that deliver results.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The California high-speed rail boondoggle was never going to happen,&rdquo; a senior DOT official said. &ldquo;Not a single track was laid down in sixteen years. The Secretary recognized that taxpayers work too hard for $4 billion of their dollars to go down the drain.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>DOT officials said the withdrawn funds will be redirected to &ldquo;viable and meritorious passenger-rail projects that actually deliver for the American people.&rdquo; The department, they added, is prioritizing &ldquo;updating roads and bridges and our ports and our rail systems, fundamental core infrastructure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The move reflects Duffy&rsquo;s broader philosophy: scaling back federal involvement in projects he sees as wasteful while giving states and industries more flexibility to move faster. However, that approach has sparked concern among some safety and advocacy groups, who fear that the department could move too quickly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Certainly time has rendered some regulations obsolete,&rdquo; said Zach Cahalan, executive director of the Truck Safety Coalition, which represents families of crash victims, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freightwaves.com\/news\/truck-safety-group-warns-of-political-interference-danger-at-dot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">speaking <\/a>to <em>FreightWaves<\/em>. &ldquo;However, TSC remains concerned FMCSA is rushing to fulfill campaign pledges and failing to uphold its historically high burden to prove any deregulatory changes will not adversely impact safety.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cahalan <a href=\"https:\/\/public-inspection.federalregister.gov\/2025-09705.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted a proposal<\/a> that would scrap the rule requiring older trailers, those made before 1993, to have reflective tape to make them more visible at night. He criticized the agency for assuming those trailers are no longer on the road without offering any data to back that up.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3848174\/sean-duffy-blames-democrats-chaos-delayed-travel-prolonged-government-shutdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>DUFFY BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR DELAYED TRAVEL &lsquo;CHAOS&rsquo; DURING PROLONGED SHUTDOWN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>DOT officials reject the notion that deregulation means lowering standards. &ldquo;We review each regulation meticulously to ensure safety is never compromised,&rdquo; a spokesperson said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They added that more reforms are on the way, including updates for rail, maritime, and emerging vehicle technologies,&nbsp;in part of what they describe as a long-term push to bring Washington&rsquo;s transportation rulebook into the twenty-first century.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Duffy&#8217;s $1.3B deregulation: Trump&#8217;s transport chief reshapes rules<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2499063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP25239536681515.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[19772,44953,38399,45268,65250],"class_list":["post-2499062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-deregulation","tag-government-reform","tag-policy-change","tag-sean-duffy","tag-transportation-rules"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP25239536681515.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2499062"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2499071,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499062\/revisions\/2499071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2499063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2499062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2499062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2499062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}