Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration November 28, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces its decision to grant an exemption to Transecurity LLC (Transecurity) that will allow the placement of an onboard safety monitoring system (OBMS) at the bottom of windshields on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) currently require antennas, transponders, and similar devices to be located not more than 6 inches below the upper edge of the windshield, outside the area swept by the windshield wipers, and outside the driver's sight lines to the road and highway signs and signals. Transecurity is coordinating the development and installation of camera-based monitoring systems in up to 500 CMVs operating throughout the United States in support of research being conducted on behalf of FMCSA. The exemption would enable motor carriers to participate in a field operation test to evaluate the system and allow for on-road data collection. FMCSA believes that permitting the OBMS to be mounted lower than currently allowed, but still outside the driver's sight lines to the road and highway signs and signals, will maintain a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety achieved without the exemption.