§392.10 requires drivers of specific CMVs — every bus and motorcoach, every vehicle hauling placarded hazardous materials, every cargo tank — to stop within 50 feet but no closer than 15 feet of every railroad grade crossing, then proceed only after listening and looking. The bigger consequence isn't the BASIC weight: a railroad-crossing violation is a §383.51(d) "railroad-highway grade crossing offense" that triggers escalating CDL disqualification.
Severity weight + CDL disqualification
Severity weight 5 in the Unsafe Driving BASIC. More importantly, §383.51(d) disqualifies the driver:
- 60 days for a first conviction
- 120 days for a second conviction within 3 years
- 1 year for a third within 3 years
The CDL disqualification flows to the carrier as a §391.15 disqualification — the driver cannot operate a CMV until the period elapses. Continued dispatch is auto-fail under §385.321(b)(8).
How to prevent it
- Identify every required-stop driver on your roster (passenger, hazmat, cargo tank).
- Cover §392.10 explicitly in orientation. Many drivers misremember the rule as "stop at every crossing" — it's selective.
- Map the routes against state railroad-crossing inventories so dispatch knows which crossings the regulation covers.
How Roadworthy HQ helps
Roadworthy HQ tracks driver disqualification status; a §383.51(d) finding flips the driver to disqualified-for-dispatch and notifies the manager. The §391.15 record retains the finding and the date of restoration.