Safety First 22: Environmental Compliance Issues

October 21, 2026

Safety First · Lesson 22 of 30 · Non-Driving Activities
Free safety education based on the federal Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) theory curriculum. This is not certified ELDT training and does not count toward a CDL.

The twenty-second unit of the federal Class A theory curriculum is Environmental Compliance Issues. It covers environmental hazards connected with the truck and its load, and the different levels of government whose rules can apply.

What this unit covers

Under 49 CFR Part 380, Appendix A, this unit teaches driver-trainees to recognize environmental hazards and issues related to the commercial motor vehicle and its load. It also makes driver-trainees aware that city, county, State, and Federal requirements may apply to these situations.

This lesson gives some Federal and State examples. It is not a complete list of the environmental rules that may apply to you.

1. Keep the load on the truck

Under 49 CFR 393.100, each commercial motor vehicle transporting cargo on public roads must be loaded and equipped, and the cargo secured, to prevent the cargo from leaking, spilling, blowing, or falling from the vehicle. This rule applies to trucks, truck tractors, semitrailers, full trailers, and pole trailers. Lesson 21 covers cargo securement and covering in more detail.

2. Do not tamper with emission controls

An EPA enforcement alert explains that the federal Clean Air Act prohibits any person from knowingly removing or rendering inoperative emission control devices or elements of design.
It also prohibits making, selling, offering for sale, or installing parts where a principal effect of the part is to bypass, defeat, or render inoperative emission controls, when the person knows or should know the part is being used that way. EPA calls these "defeat devices."
Examples of emission controls listed in the EPA alert include diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and their sensors, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs), and NOx adsorber catalyst systems. EPA also lists the on-board diagnostic system and engine calibrations that affect engine combustion.

3. State and local idling rules: one example

Some states and cities limit how long a truck may idle. For example, California's diesel idling rule, 13 CCR 2485, applies to diesel-fueled commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 pounds operating in California. Under that rule:

a covered vehicle may not idle for more than 5 consecutive minutes at any location, subject to the exceptions listed in the rule,
a diesel auxiliary power system may not run for more than 5 minutes at a location within 100 feet of a restricted area, such as property zoned for homes, and
on request, the driver must show enforcement personnel his or her driver's license, the vehicle registration, and the motor carrier's contact information.

Other states and cities have their own rules. Check the rules for each place you operate.

4. Hazardous materials incidents

Under 49 CFR 171.15, when certain incidents happen during the transportation of hazardous materials, including loading, unloading, and temporary storage, each person in physical possession of the hazardous material must give notice by telephone to the National Response Center as soon as practical, and no later than 12 hours after the incident. Reportable incidents include, for example, a hazardous material directly causing a death, an injury requiring hospitalization, or a public evacuation lasting one hour or more, or a major transportation artery or facility being closed for one hour or more.

Quick check

According to the federal curriculum, which levels of government may have environmental requirements that apply to you? (Answer: city, county, State, and Federal.)
What does 49 CFR 393.100 require cargo to be secured against? (Answer: leaking, spilling, blowing, or falling from the vehicle.)
Under California's diesel idling rule, how long may a covered vehicle idle at any location? (Answer: no more than 5 consecutive minutes, subject to the rule's exceptions.)

Find every Safety First lesson under DRIVE.

This lesson is general education, not legal advice. Environmental rules vary by city, county, and State and change over time, so check the current rules where you operate and follow your carrier's procedures. Drivers getting their first Class A or Class B CDL, upgrading from Class B to Class A, or getting a hazardous materials, passenger, or school bus endorsement for the first time must, with limited exceptions, complete entry-level driver training from a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry.

Sources

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