USA: Amendment to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
The Department of Transportation (DOT) of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has published the final rule amending the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).
The amendments consist in increasing the area on the interior of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) windshields where certain vehicle safety technology devices may be mounted. In addition, FMCSA adds items to the definition of vehicle safety technology.
Section 393.60(e)(1)(i) of the FMCSRs prohibits obstruction of the driver’s field of view by devices mounted at the top of the windshield. Antennas and similar devices must not be mounted more than 152 mm (6 inches) below the upper edge of the windshield and must be outside the driver’s sight lines to the road and highway signs and signals.
The Agency modifies § 393.60(e)(1)(ii) to increase from 100 mm (4 inches) to 216 mm (8.5 inches) the distance below the upper edge of the area swept by the windshield wipers within which vehicle safety technologies may be mounted. The Agency also amends § 393.5 by revising the definition of vehicle safety technology to add technologies that had been granted temporary exemptions from § 393.60(e).
The amendments do not impose new or more stringent requirements, but simply codify the temporary exemptions granted pursuant to 49 CFR part 381 that allow the use of the devices/ technologies in locations that would previously have been a violation of § 393.60(e)(1). More importantly, the amendments do not mandate the use of any devices/technologies, but simply permit their voluntary use while mounted in a location that maximizes their effectiveness without impairing operational safety.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) set forth minimum standards for those involved with the operation of commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce, in order to cover all people and entities involved in interstate operation of these trucks.