A carrier-specific lighting request is open for comment
FMCSA published a notice on October 26 requesting public comment on an application from R.B. Stewart Petroleum Products, USDOT No. 1290158. The carrier seeks a five-year exemption from the steady-burning-lamp requirement in 49 CFR 393.25(e) so it can use an Intellistop module on its commercial motor vehicles. Comments are due November 25, 2026, under docket FMCSA-2026-3730.
The proposed module would pulse existing lamps under braking
According to the application, the module would pulse the vehicle’s existing rear clearance, identification and brake lamps from low to high intensity four times during the first two seconds after the brakes are applied. The lamps would then return to steady burning for as long as the driver continues applying the brakes. R.B. Stewart argues that the sequence would improve visibility and help following motorists recognize braking sooner, particularly behind cargo tank trailers.
This is different from the recent radar-warning proposal
The R.B. Stewart request is brake-actuated and would modulate existing rear lamps. It is separate from the Grote Industries application published earlier in October, which proposed auxiliary amber lamps activated by a rear-facing radar system when a collision threat is detected. Neither notice authorizes fleets to use the proposed configuration; each is an application that FMCSA will evaluate independently.
The steady-burning rule has not changed
Federal rules generally require exterior lamps to be steady burning, subject to specified exceptions such as turn signals and hazard warning lamps. FMCSA denied an earlier industry-wide Intellistop exemption in 2022, while explaining that individual carriers could submit requests with conditions that can be monitored. In the new proceeding, the agency must determine whether R.B. Stewart’s proposed alternative would provide a level of safety equivalent to or greater than compliance with the existing rule.
Driver and fleet takeaway
Do not install or activate a pulsing-brake configuration merely because this application is under review. Drivers should continue reporting failed, dim or intermittent rear lamps during pre-trip and post-trip inspections, and maintenance teams should verify that brake, clearance and identification lamps operate exactly as currently required. Fleets commenting on the docket can provide specific evidence about rear-end-crash exposure, driver recognition, lamp durability, maintenance controls and possible confusion with emergency or hazard signals. Comments are public, so avoid including personal or confidential business information unless the Federal Register procedures for protected material are followed.
Federal Register — R.B. Stewart Application for an Exemption
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