Exemption Lets Firm Replace Rear Mirrors With Camera Array

Federal regulators are allowing a company to substitute rearview mirrors on cabs with a camera monitoring system that purports to be safer.

In a July 24 Federal Register notice, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that it was granting Convoy Technologies a limited five-year exemption from regulations governing rearview mirrors. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in 49 C.F.R. 393.80(a) mandate that commercial vehicles use “two rear-vision mirrors, one at each side.”

By contrast, Convoy will be using a six-camera system mounted to either side of the vehicle with monitors mounted on the A-pillar of the truck. The company says that the cameras provide a 25 percent greater field of view for drivers, reduce blind spots and produce HD images on the monitor that adjust to lighting and road conditions.

FMCSA stated that it “has determined that granting the exemption would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety provided by the regulation.” It also noted that similar setups are already used in several European countries.

The exemption, which only applies to Convoy’s rearview camera system, extends through July 24, 2029. Earlier this year, FMCSA renewed a similar exemption for a camera system from Stoneridge, Inc.