Metronet Seeks FMCSA Exemption to Add Pulsating Brake Lamps
FMCSA posted supporting material in docket FMCSA-2026-2707 on November 4, 2026, laying out Metronet's application for an exemption from 49 CFR 393.25(e), which requires trailers and van-body straight trucks to carry steady-burning brake lamps. Metronet's director of fleet, Paul Mullen, filed the request in a May 20, 2026 letter to then-Administrator Robin Hutcheson.
Metronet is not asking to drop the existing steady-burn requirement. It wants permission to add Grote Industries' Auxiliary Strobe & Stop lamp, which flashes as a Class II strobe for up to four seconds when the brakes are applied, then burns steady red while the brake circuit stays active. The company cites similar five-year exemptions granted to NTTC in 2020, Grote Industries in 2020, and Waste Management in 2022.
Metronet told FMCSA that rear-end collisions made up 19% of its reportable accidents in 2025 and pointed to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research suggesting pulsating brake lamps can reduce rear-end crash frequency.
What's next
- No comment period is currently open on this docket.
- Watch FMCSA-2026-2707 for the agency's decision on the exemption.
- Compare any grant against the earlier Grote Industries exemption, which runs through December 2030.
All sources
- Supporting & Related Material: Metronet - Application for Exemption — Regulations.gov (FMCSA), 2026-11-04
