On October 1, 2013, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration changed the rules to make the New
Entrant Safety Audit occur earlier for motor carriers:
Subject to this section, the Secretary of Transportation shall make and administer a compliance, safety, and accountability grant program to assist States, local governments, and other entities and persons with motor carrier safety and enforcement on highways and other public roads, new
entrant safety audits, border enforcement, hazardous materials safety and security, consumer protection and household goods enforcement, and other programs and activities required to improve the safety of motor carriers as determined by the Secretary.
Upon issuance of a Federal USDOT number, motor carriers are granted temporary operating authority and automatically enrolled in the DOT's New
Entrant Safety Program — which requires a
Safety Audit.