FMCSA revises 49 CFR: Safe Operation

FMCSA 07-22 FR misc updates Parts and Acc-1.pdf

On July 22, 2016 (81 FR 47722), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a final rule in the federal register to revise the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) in 49 CFR Parts 49 CFR Parts 393 & 396 and Appendix G to Subchapter B of Chapter III in response to several petitions for rulemaking from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA), and two safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Specifically, the FMCSA adds a definition of “major tread groove” and an illustration to indicate the location of tread wear indicators or wear bars on a tire signifying a major tread groove; revises the rear license plate lamp requirement to eliminate the requirement for an operable rear license plate lamp on vehicles when there is no rear license plate present; amends the regulations regarding tires to prohibit the operation of a vehicle with speed-restricted tires at speeds that exceed the rated limit of the tire; provides specific requirements regarding when violations or defects noted on an inspection report must be corrected; amends two appendixes to the FMCSRs to include provisions for the inspection of antilock braking systems (ABS) and automatic brake adjusters, speed-restricted tires, and motor coach passenger seat mounting anchorages; amends the periodic inspection rules to eliminate the option for a motor carrier to satisfy the annual inspection requirement through a violation–free roadside inspection; and amends the inspector qualification requirements as a result of the amendments to the periodic inspection rules. In addition, FMCSA eliminates introductory regulatory text from an appendix to the FMCSRs because the discussion of the differences between the North American Standard Inspection out-of-service criteria and FMCSA’s periodic inspection criteria is unnecessary. The rule is effective July 22, 2016. Petitions for Reconsideration of this final rule must be submitted to the FMCSA Administrator no later than August 22, 2016.