FMCSA increases the allowed area for mounting devices on interior CMV windshields

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has updated current regulations to allow drivers to mount certain vehicle technology safety devices on a larger area on interior CMV windshields.

In a Final Rule published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2022, the FMCSA stated the agency would amend regulations to increase the allowable area for mounting “vehicle safety technologies” from the currently allowed 4 inches from the distance below the upper edge of the area swept by the windshield wipers.

Under the new rule, the the allowable area is 8.5 inches below the upper edge of the area swept by the windshield wipers.

The rule will go into effect on May 6, 2022.

The Final Rule was issued in response to a rule making petition filed in 2019 by Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA).

The regulation requiring that antennas and similar devices must not be mounted more than 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 remains in place.

The Final Rule also expands the definition of “vehicle safety technologies” to include braking warning systems, braking assist systems, driver camera systems, attention assist warning, GPS, and traffic sign recognition. Previously, accepted “vehicle safety technologies” included fleet-related incident management systems, performance or behavior management systems, speed management systems, lane departure warning systems, forward collision warning or mitigation systems, active cruise control systems, and transponders. Vehicle safety technology includes systems and devices that contain cameras, lidar, radar, sensors, and/or video, according to FMCSA.