FMCSA Reviews ClearView E-Mirror Exemption: What Trucking Fleets Should Know

Transit Solutions, LLC (doing business as TSI Video) has asked FMCSA for permission to let motor carriers run commercial motor vehicles with its ClearView E-Mirror camera monitor system in place of the standard mirrors required by federal regulations.

Right now, federal rules say your truck needs two rear-vision mirrors – one on each side – with a clear view to the rear. This exemption request asks to treat the ClearView camera and monitor setup as an alternative to those mirrors.

FMCSA’s notice does not mean they approve the idea. By law, they have to publish the request, explain it, and ask for public comments. After that, they will review the application, any safety data, and the comments before deciding whether to grant or deny the exemption, and under what conditions.

Camera-based mirror systems are becoming more common in newer equipment. They can potentially reduce blind spots and improve visibility in bad weather or at night, but they also introduce new risks if drivers are not trained or the system fails.

If FMCSA approves this exemption, it will likely come with conditions, such as: - Which vehicles can use it - How systems must be installed and maintained - How the driver’s field of view is protected

For operations, this could affect how you spec future tractors, how you train drivers to use camera monitors instead of glass mirrors, and how your shop handles calibration, repairs, and downtime if a camera or display fails. It may also influence OEMs and larger fleets to lean harder into mirrorless designs over the next few years.

Even though this is an FMCSA regulatory issue, technology like E-mirrors always ends up under an insurance microscope. Carriers and underwriters pay attention to anything that changes driver visibility, reaction time, or the likelihood of sideswipes, lane-change crashes, and backing claims.

If ClearView or similar systems become more common, insurers will likely ask more questions, including: - Which camera/mirror system is installed and by whom - How drivers are trained on it and tested for proficiency - Your written policy if the system fails mid-trip - Whether visibility is actually improved versus stock mirrors

What we tell our clients is this: any time you add safety tech, treat it like adding a new driver. Document it, train it, and back it up with written procedures. That paper trail often makes claim reviews and renewals smoother because you can show this was a conscious safety decision, not a gadget bolted on without thought.

From a claims perspective, collision adjusters will want to know whether the driver saw (or should have seen) the other vehicle on the monitor. That will factor into how fault is evaluated and how your loss history reads to the next underwriter who shops your renewal.

You cannot treat this FMCSA notice as permission to pull off your mirrors today. Until FMCSA grants an exemption and you meet every condition attached to it, the existing mirror rules still apply.

But if you are already planning to spec or pilot camera-based mirror systems, it is smart to get your paperwork and processes ready. At a minimum, pull together: - A written policy on camera and mirror usage, including what happens if the system fails - Driver training materials, sign-off sheets, and any testing or ride-along evaluations - Maintenance and inspection checklists for cameras, brackets, wiring, and in-cab monitors - Incident reporting procedures that specifically ask whether the system was working at the time of a crash

From an insurance standpoint, also expect your agent or underwriter to ask for: - Current loss runs, so they can see if you have a pattern of mirror or lane-change losses - Unit lists specifying which trucks carry advanced mirror or camera setups - Any safety committee notes or internal reviews about tech changes

Those documents help your insurance team explain to carriers that you are not experimenting blindly; you are managing the risk with structure and follow-through.

FMCSA will collect public comments on the Transit Solutions exemption, review safety data, and then publish a decision later. That decision might allow the ClearView E-Mirror under specific terms, deny the request, or ask for more information.

While you wait, two practical steps make sense: - Have your safety or compliance person track this exemption on FMCSA’s site - Loop your insurance agent into any discussion about testing or adopting mirrorless setups

When you talk with your agent, be ready to walk through your fleet profile: radius, cargo, driver mix, loss history, and how aggressive you want to be with new technology. Your agent can then match that risk profile with insurance carriers that are more open to modern safety equipment versus those that prefer traditional specs.

As always, this post is informational only. Any actual coverage, pricing, or underwriting decisions will depend on your specific operation, drivers, equipment, cargo, loss history, state rules, and each insurance carrier’s appetite at the time you apply or renew.