Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Certification and Labeling Requirements for Rear Impact Protection Guards
Built by the Tribune's code from the Federal Register. No AI wrote this page. Published in the Federal Register Feb. 19, 2026. Document 2026-03255. Updated Nov. 14, 2026.
- What it does
FMCSA amends the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) to rescind 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 (FMVSS) promulgated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 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. This final rule eliminates an unintended regulatory burden on motor carriers without compromising safety, as it does not affect the applicable FMVSS. The final rule also rescinds a guidance document pertaining to illegible, incomplete, or missing rear impact guard certification labels.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's summary, as published in the Federal Register.
- What changed in the regulation
1 part of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations:
Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).
- Compared with
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published 21 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 6 in all of 2025.
Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.
- Before this
1 earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 2126-AC81 since Jan. 1, 2025.
- What happens next and when
Effective March 23, 2026.
The agency's dates, word for word.
The record as published
| Document number | 2026-03255 |
|---|---|
| Action | Final rule. |
| Agencies | Transportation Department; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration |
| Published | Feb. 19, 2026 |
| Effective date | March 23, 2026 |
| Regulation identifier (RIN) | 2126-AC81 |
| Docket | FMCSA-2025-0107 |
Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register