FMCSA Expands Complaint Categories: Check the Scope

FMCSA announced expanded complaint categories on November 6. Filing a report does not automatically start an investigation or penalty.

FMCSA Expands Complaint Categories: Check the Scope

Illustrative archive: Freightliner Cascadia cab interior, September 18, 2013; MobiusDaXter / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. No complaint or violation is attributed to this truck or its operator. Photograph unchanged. Photo record · CC BY-SA 3.0.

A broader menu, with a defined purpose

FMCSA’s November 6 bulletin announces enhancements to its Complaint Center, formerly known as the National Consumer Complaint Database. The announced categories include property brokers, entry-level driver training and its provider registry, intermodal equipment providers, and registration-related fraud and identity theft. The bulletin also describes changes to the submission form and complaint search tool.

Choose the issue, not just the company name

For an owner-operator, the practical first step is checking whether the concern fits the agency’s published scope. FMCSA’s eligibility page describes property-broker complaints within its jurisdiction in relation to operating authority or financial responsibility. A new broker category should not be read as a promise that the agency will resolve every commercial disagreement.

The category for registration fraud and identity theft addresses concerns such as registration information used without authorization. The agency also places medical review officers and substance abuse professionals under Drug and Alcohol Service Agents. Use the current category description when organizing a report.

Submitting does not prove a violation

The November 6 bulletin explicitly says that a complaint does not automatically trigger an investigation, violation or penalty. FMCSA reviews it alongside other information to decide which regulated entities may warrant further action. Keep a submitted allegation distinct from an agency finding when discussing a case with dispatch, a customer or another carrier.

Prepare a clear factual record

  • Identify the entity and the issue you actually observed.
  • Separate dates, documents and direct observations from assumptions.
  • Check the relevant eligibility description before choosing a category.
  • Retain your submission record separately from any later agency response.

These are editorial organization suggestions. FMCSA says complainants should provide the information they have and do not need every detail before filing. Use the official bulletin and eligibility page below to reach the current process; this article does not submit a complaint or determine that any pictured company violated a rule.

Original sources: FMCSA bulletin, November 6, 2026 · FMCSA eligible complaints