All Transportation Division operations (apart from the Pipeline Safety Bureau) are now a part of the New Mexico Department of Transportation. The transfer impacts all functions performed by the Applications Section, Ambulance and Railroad Bureau, and Compliance/Investigation Bureau of the Transportation Division.

At the NMDOT, the program responsible for the regulation and enforcement of motor carriers, including ambulance services, has been organized into three units – Applications, Compliance, and Inspections & Investigations – and placed under the new Transportation Regulation Bureau (TRB), which is managed by the agency’s Modal Division. The NMDOT Ports of Entry operations will also be placed under the new TRB.

Railroad safety enforcement components of the program are now administered by the NMDOT’s Transit & Rail Division, which is also a part of the Modal Division.

Further, changes related to the state’s Motor Carrier Act and regulations pertaining to motor carrier operations also went into effect.

Please note that the NMPRC’s contractual obligations related to motor carrier regulation, railroad safety enforcement, and ambulance standards remain valid. Additionally, any rules or orders the NMPRC issued in the oversight areas remain in place, until repealed or amended.

A list of frequently asked questions and answers regarding the transfer of the Transportation Division is available here.

The transfer of the Transportation Division to NMDOT is the result of the requirements of Senate Bill 160, which was approved by the state Legislature and signed into law in 2023. Prior to the transfer, a group consisting of staff from NMDOT and NMPRC met regularly to prepare for and facilitate a smooth transition.

The transfer does not include the NMPRC’s Pipeline Safety Bureau, which oversees the audit and inspection of statewide natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines.