US transportation regulators stop pretending they regulate boats

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is removing all mentions of "water carriers" from its rulebooks. This means the agency will no longer have to clarify that it only regulates motor carriers, even if those motor carriers also operate boats.

For decades, the agency's rules included language that implied it had some authority over water transportation. This created unnecessary legal ambiguity and administrative overhead. Removing these obsolete references clarifies the agency's actual jurisdiction, making its regulations simpler and more precise.