Proposed Rule Would Require Seat Belts for Passengers in Commercial Trucks
FMCSA is asking for public comment on a proposal to require passengers riding in property-carrying commercial motor vehicles to use safety belts.
HDT file photo
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing to require passengers riding in property-carrying commercial motor vehicles to use safety belts.
Federal rules have long required all commercial drivers to use safety belts (49 CFR 392.16). This proposed rule would hold both trucking companies and commercial truck drivers responsible for ensuring that any passenger riding in the truck cab are also buckled up.
Approximately 275 occupants of large trucks killed in crashes in 2013 were not wearing their safety belts, according to the most recently available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA already requires vehicle manufacturers to install both driver and passenger seat belts in commercial vehicles (over 10,000 pounds GVWR,) but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations are silent on the actual use of seat belts by passengers.
This rulemaking is in response to a 2013 petition submitted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Read the official Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, including instructions on how to comment.
More Safety & Compliance
ATRI Wants Motor Carriers for Driver-Facing Camera Study
In this new study, the American Transportation Research Institute will explore how driver-facing cameras can impact safety and operational metrics in trucking fleets.
Read More →
Netradyne Intelligence Uses New AI Agents to Automate Response to In-Cab Camera Data
The company called the next-generation in-cab camera safety platform "a fundamental shift from systems that report on what happened to systems that actively drive what should happen next."
Read More →
Mack, Volvo Issue ‘Do Not Drive’ Recall on Possible Wheel-Offs
Owners will be sent advance notice not to operate their affected vehicles until the remedy is performed.
Read More →
Fleetworthy Integrates Lytx Video Snapshots into Safety+ Platform
A new Fleetworthy-Lytx integration gives fleet managers access to video context alongside safety event data, streamlining driver coaching and incident review.
Read More →
How Waste Connections is Using Data, Telematics, and AI
How do you manage and maintain more than 18,000 connected trucks? Data. Lots of it.
Read More →
Fleet Advantage: Top Logistics Fleets Outperform National Safety Benchmarks
Fleet Advantage's latest TRUST Safety Index found leading logistics fleets maintained significantly lower out-of-service rates and stronger safety scores than national averages, while highlighting persistent challenges related to tires, brakes, and unsafe driving behaviors.
Read More →
Why Fleet Data Matters More Than Ever at Waste Connections [Watch]
Waste Connections' Chuck Palmer explains how telematics, predictive maintenance, safety analytics, and AI help keep vehicles on the road and drivers safe in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking.
Read More →
Short Takes: How K&B is Using AI
Fleets need to "get on board the train" with AI, says Lance Evans of K&B Transportation in this HDT Talks Trucking Short Takes episode.
Read More →
Short Takes: Inside K&B’s Truck Safety Tech
Listen to learn how K&B Transportation uses cellphone-blocking technology, speed management systems, weather geofencing, bridge avoidance tools, and more to improve driver safety.
Read More →
The Biggest Gap in Driverless Trucking Isn’t Tech. It’s Safety Validation
Nauto’s Stefan Heck says autonomous trucks are advancing quickly but proving they’re safe enough for large-scale deployment may be the industry’s hardest challenge.
Read More →