Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Rear Impact Guards and Rear Impact Protection

Summary: FMCSA proposes to amend the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to include rear impact guards on the list of items that must be examined as part of the required annual inspection for each commercial motor vehicle (CMV). In addition, FMCSA proposes to amend the labeling requirements for rear impact guards, and to exclude road construction controlled (RCC) horizontal discharge trailers from the rear impact guard requirements, consistent with changes made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to the corresponding Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). This notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) responds to rulemaking petitions, as well as a recommendation from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).