FMCSA Finalizes Rear Impact Guard Inspection Rule
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Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a final rule adding rear impact guards on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) to the list of items that must be inspected annually. The addition to the annual inspection list follows a petition filed by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and recommendations from the Government Accountability Office, and then the subsequent proposal for the change issued by FMCSA in late 2020.
The final rule states that, “while the FMCSRs have required rear impact guards for more than 65 years, they have not been included on the list of components in Appendix G that must be inspected during the annual CMV inspection. This means that a vehicle can pass an annual inspection with a missing or damaged rear impact guard.” Motor carriers are required to inspect each of their CMVs annually, following a specific list of items to review as per Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 396.17 (49 CFR 369.17).
The effective date for the final rule is Thursday, December 9. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.
