FMCSR 393.25(a): Obscured Rear Lamps – Driver Q&A

No. A citation for obscured rear lamps under 393.25(a) will not place your truck out of service in the vast majority of cases. Across our inspection records, only 1.5% of the 1,556 all-time citations for this code resulted in an out-of-service order. That's 23 trucks placed OOS versus 1,533 that remained in operation. This is significantly below the 31.4% national average OOS rate across all FMCSR codes, making this one of the safest violations to receive from an immediate operational standpoint.

This violation carries a CSA severity weight of 3 points. The actual CSA points added to your record depend on how many violations you accumulate in a 30-day rolling window—the more violations clustered together, the higher your total. A single 393.25(a) citation will not cause catastrophic CSA damage on its own, but if stacked with other maintenance violations during inspections, the cumulative impact rises. Focus on resolving the obscured lamp issue immediately to prevent additional citations at your next roadside stop.

Take these steps immediately:

1. Inspect your rear lamps and reflectors – remove or reposition any load, tailboard, or cargo cover blocking them.
2. Document the repair – take photos showing the lamps are now fully visible and functional.
3. Request a re-inspection – contact the jurisdiction where you were cited and ask an officer to verify the repair (this supports DataQs contestation if the initial citation was in error).
4. Check for co-violations – obscured lamps often appear alongside inoperable lamp codes; verify all rear lighting is working.
5. Brief your dispatcher – report the citation and corrective action to prevent repeat violations on future loads.

Inoperable lamps (393.9) is far more serious. Our data shows 393.9(a) has been cited 660,737 times with a 15.4% out-of-service rate—meaning roughly 1 in 6 drivers are pulled from service. By contrast, 393.25(a) obscured lamps have only 1,556 citations and a 1.5% OOS rate. The key difference: obscured lamps are visibility issues (often fixable on the roadside by moving cargo), while inoperable lamps are equipment failures. An inspector can see both, but inoperable lamps trigger stricter enforcement.

Yes. If you believe the citation was issued in error—for example, the inspector misidentified which lamp was blocked, or the load arrangement was compliant—you can file a DataQs (DataQuality System) request with FMCSA. You have up to 45 days from the date of the inspection to submit. Provide photos, loading diagrams, or witness statements showing the lamps were not actually obscured. Obscured-lamp citations are easier to contest than equipment-failure citations because they depend on the inspector's visual assessment at a specific moment in time.

This citation has become very rare in recent months. Across our 13 million+ inspection records, we saw 1,556 citations for 393.25(a) all-time, but zero citations in the last 90 days and zero in the last 12 months. This suggests either improved loading practices industry-wide, inspector focus on other violations, or seasonal variation. If you do receive this citation, you're in an uncommon situation—but the fix is straightforward: secure or reposition your load to expose the rear lamps.

Freightliners lead by far. Across our records, Freightliner units account for 175 citations for obscured rear lamps, followed by Internationals and FRHT trailers (both 74 citations), Kenworth (67), and Wabash and Utility trailers (58 each). The high volume on Freightliners likely reflects their prevalence in the fleet, not inherent design weakness. The pattern suggests this violation is driven more by load securement practices than vehicle make—any truck with a tall or poorly positioned cargo cover can obscure rear lighting.

This violation records against both you and your carrier in FMCSA's CSA system. The citation appears in the Maintenance BASIC for your safety profile and your carrier's safety profile. However, the driver bears primary responsibility in DOT enforcement—if you load the truck and fail to verify rear lamps are visible before departure, the citation is yours. Talk to your safety manager about pre-trip inspection checklists that explicitly include a rear-lamp visibility check before rolling.