FMCSA proposes rules requiring truck passengers wear safety belts

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said today it has proposed rules requiring that passengers riding in commercial motor vehicles wear safety belts.

The proposed rule would hold trucking companies and commercial truck drivers responsible for ensuring that any passenger riding in the truck cab are buckled up, said the DOT subagency, which oversees motor carriers, freight brokers, domestic freight forwarders, passenger bus and motor coach companies. Federal rules already require all commercial drivers to use safety belts.

The FMCSA proposal applies to all passengers riding in the truck cab under any circumstance.

About 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), cited by the FMCSA.