FMCSA renews exemption for specific car haulers

In 2019, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration exempted car haulers driving stinger-steered transporter equipment from having to place warning flags on overhanging loads. Recently, the agency announced its plans to renew the exemption.

“FMCSA announces its decision to provisionally renew an exemption requested jointly by the Automobile Carriers Conference of the American Trucking Associations and the Auto Haulers Association of America to relieve motor carriers operating stinger-steered automobile transporter equipment from the requirement to place warning flags on projecting loads of new and used motor vehicles,” the agency wrote.

Current regulations require any commercial motor vehicle transporting a load that extends more than 4 feet beyond the rear of the vehicle to be marked with a single red or orange fluorescent warning flag at the extreme rear if the projecting load is 2 feet wide or less and two warning flags if the projecting load is wider than 2 feet.

The initial exemption was granted for five years. Citing no known safety incidents caused by the exemption, the groups asked for a renewal.

FMCSA granted a provisional renewal for six months.

“FMCSA is not aware of any evidence indicating that providing relief to motor carriers operating stinger-steered automobile transporter equipment from the requirement to place warning flags on projecting loads of new and used motor vehicles in accordance with the conditions of the original exemption have resulted in any degradation of safety,” the agency wrote.

Conditions

Several conditions were cited in the provisional renewal:

• The exemption does not apply to any other type of transporter equipment or other types of projecting or oversized loads.
• Motor carriers operating under the exemption must notify FMCSA of any crash to the rear of the stinger-steered auto transporter equipment within seven business days.
• Vehicles that overhang from the transporter must be equipped with all other lights and reflective devices required by existing regulations.
• Motor carriers and commercial motor vehicles operating under this exemption must comply with all other applicable regulations unless specifically exempted from a requirement.

How to comment

Before deciding to grant another five-year exemption, FMCSA is giving the public the opportunity to comment on the request.

FMCSA will accept comments through March 22. To submit a comment, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2018-0090. LL