The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued several revisions to its regulations for commercial motor vehicle parts and accessories intended to provide relief from requirements without jeopardizing safety. The revisions, which are all in response to petitions for rulemaking, include:

• Auxiliary Fuel Tanks. The FMCSA amended its fuel tank requirements to add an exception to the prohibition on gravity and syphon feeds for auxiliary pumps with a nominal fuel tank capacity of not more than five gallons mounted on the trailer chassis frame or trailer bed, for purposes other than operation of the motor vehicle, that are operated only when the motor vehicle is not in motion.

• Brakes on Portable Conveyors. The agency added an exception for portable conveyors used in aggregate industry operations, and manufactured before 2010, from the requirement that each commercial motor vehicle be equipped with brakes acting on all wheels, provided certain conditions are satisfied.

• Rear Impact Protection Guards. FMCSA has rescinded the requirement that the rear impact guard be permanently marked or labeled with a certification from the impact guard manufacturer as required by the applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard promulgated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The certification label or marking provides motor carriers purchasing new trailers or new impact guards to replace damaged devices with a means to determine whether the equipment is certified as meeting the FMVSS. However, the labeling or marking requirement has proven problematic for motor carriers when the label or marking becomes illegible or wears off during the service life of the trailer or guard.

• Fuel Tank Overfill Restriction. FMCSA removed the requirement that a liquid fuel tank manufactured on or after January 1, 1973, be designed and constructed so that it cannot be filled, in a normal filling operation, with a quantity of fuel that exceeds 95 percent of the tank’s liquid capacity.

• License Plate Lamps. The agency added an exception from the lamp and reflective device requirements for license plate lamps on the rear of truck tractors while towing a trailer.

• Liquid Burning Flares. The FMCSA amended the rules for emergency equipment on CMVs to remove the references to liquid-burning flares from the warning device requirements, which the FMCSA believes are no longer used.

• Spare Fuses. FMCSA amended the emergency equipment rules to remove the requirement for CMVs to be equipped with at least one spare fuse for each type and size of fuse needed for the operation of the CMV.

• Tire Load Markings. FMCSA amended the requirements for CMV tires to clarify that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations do not require tire load restriction markings on the sidewalls of the tires.