FMCSA, NHTSA Increase Fines for Violations

Federal agencies are boosting their fines for infractions for next year, including some in the transportation sector. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) revised its civil penalty amounts by multiplying them by 1.02598, according to a Dec. 30 Federal Register notice. The new amount will take effect immediately. 

For example, the fine for knowing falsification of records increased from $15,445 to $15,846, according to the notice. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration adjusted its penalties by the same amount. The complete listing of penalties and their new amounts can be found in the notice. 

The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act requires these agencies to make annual adjustments to civil penalty amounts, calculated by multiplying the change in percent between the current year’s October Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers and the previous year’s listing by the penalty amount.