FMCSA Approves Limited Use of Pulsing Brake Lamps for Trucks

Federal regulators at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have approved a limited use of enhanced pulsing brake lamps on a small number of trucks. This decision allows Springdale, Arkansas-based Encore Building Products, a construction materials hauler, to use trucks outfitted with an innovative electronic braking module from Intellistop, Inc.

This pulsing brake light system is designed to increase safety by reducing rear-end collisions. When activated by the driver, the Intellistop module pulses the truck’s rear lights—brake, clearance, and identification lamps—from low to high intensity four times within two seconds. After this brief pulsing, the lights return to their steady state while the brakes remain applied. This technology contrasts with federal regulations, which currently mandate that brake lights on trucks must remain steady-burning when engaged.

Despite the existing regulations, FMCSA determined that this exemption for Encore’s trucks could enhance safety. “The agency has determined that granting the exemption to Encore would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety achieved by the regulation,” FMCSA noted in their announcement. This decision marks a significant win for Intellistop, which had previously been denied a broader industry-wide exemption for this technology in 2021. At the time, FMCSA ruled that Intellistop's request was too extensive to ensure safety across all trucks. However, FMCSA showed greater willingness to approve exemptions on a case-by-case basis for specific motor carriers, such as Encore.

The exemption is restricted to about 223 trucks, allowing Encore to install the pulsing brake system on no more than half of its power units and trailers in the first year. The FMCSA aims to evaluate the performance and safety benefits of the pulsing brake lights by comparing the crash involvement rates of Encore’s trucks equipped with Intellistop to those without the system, as well as with other commercial motor vehicles of similar size and safety performance.

Rear-end collisions involving large trucks are a serious issue. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the rear of the truck is the second-most frequent point of impact in accidents causing injury (17%) and death (22%). Proponents of the exemption, like the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC), have voiced support for the field testing of the Intellistop system. They argue that the potential benefits of pulsing lights could contribute to significantly reducing these types of accidents, especially where passenger cars collide with the backs of large trucks.

However, the Transportation Safety Equipment Institute (TSEI), a group that advocates for strict safety equipment standards, expressed opposition to the FMCSA’s decision. TSEI argues that safety regulations should be updated and standardized before allowing such technologies to be implemented, even in limited numbers. They called for more comprehensive research and formal rulemaking to ensure consistency in the use of non-steady burning lamps across all trucks.

While the pulsing brake light system offers promise, the FMCSA’s exemption will provide a structured opportunity to gather critical data on its effectiveness in preventing accidents. This trial will allow regulators and industry stakeholders to better understand the safety potential of these enhanced braking lights before any broader implementation.

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Source:

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-allows-limited-number-of-trucks-to-use-pulsing-brake-lamps