FMCSR 393.60(e) – Glazing & Window Obstruction Violations Explained

Almost certainly not. Across all 6,538 citations in our inspection records, only 8 vehicles were actually placed out of service under 393.60(e) — an OOS rate of just 0.1%. That is dramatically lower than the all-FMCSR average of 31.4%, making this one of the least likely Vehicle Maintenance violations to ground your truck on the spot. Inspectors typically issue the citation and let you roll. That said, the 8 exceptions do exist, so any crack or obstruction severe enough to genuinely impair forward visibility is a real risk — fix it before your next inspection regardless.

A 393.60(e) citation carries a severity weight of 4 in the CSA scoring system. That base score is then multiplied depending on how recently the inspection occurred — violations in the most recent 6 months receive the highest time-weight multiplier, with the effect fading at the 6-month and 12-month marks. The 4-point severity puts this in the moderate tier; it won't spike your Vehicle Maintenance BASIC the way a brake or lamp violation would, but repeated window-obstruction citations across your fleet stack up and can push your percentile into intervention territory over time.

Take these steps immediately after receiving the citation:

1. Document the condition — photograph the windshield or window from inside and outside before any repair.
2. Schedule repair promptly — even though the OOS rate is only 0.1%, the violation is now on your CSA record and will be checked at future inspections.
3. Notify your safety department — fleet managers need the citation number and date to monitor BASIC score impact.
4. Verify no related violations were written — companion codes like 393.78 (windshield condition defective, 157,894 all-time citations in our database) are commonly cited alongside window issues.
5. Retain the repair receipt — you'll need it if you file a DataQs challenge or if the violation surfaces in a carrier audit.

By OOS rate, it is one of the least severe. The all-FMCSR average OOS rate is 31.4%; 393.60(e) sits at just 0.1%. Compare that to peer codes in the same Vehicle Maintenance category: 396.3(a)(1) carries a 45.3% OOS rate across 236,919 citations, and even 393.78 (a closely related windshield condition code) logs 157,894 citations with a 0.3% OOS rate. By citation volume, 393.60(e) ranks #294 out of 3,036 FMCSR codes — active but not dominant. The practical takeaway: this violation is unlikely to shut you down, but its 6,538 all-time appearances confirm inspectors do write it regularly.

Yes, you can submit a Request for Data Review (RDR) through FMCSA's DataQs system. Because 393.60(e) is an equipment condition finding rather than a missing-document violation, a successful challenge typically requires evidence that the cited condition did not actually exist or did not reduce visibility — repair invoices dated before the inspection, photographs, or a technician's written assessment are the strongest submissions. Keep in mind that DataQs reviewers look at whether the officer had reasonable grounds at the time of inspection, not just whether the glass has since been replaced. Submitting clean photographic evidence taken immediately after the stop gives you the best chance of having the violation removed or corrected.

Our inspection records do not break the 6,538 all-time 393.60(e) citations down by state in the current data snapshot, so we cannot name a ranked list without risking an inaccurate figure. What the data does show is that the violation appears across the full national inspection network — it has reached #294 out of 3,036 FMCSR codes by total volume, meaning enforcement is widespread rather than concentrated in a single region. Fleet managers running high-mileage interstate operations should treat this as a nationwide exposure rather than a regional concern.

Fix it before your next inspection. The violation is not OOS-eligible in the vast majority of cases — only 8 of 6,538 citations resulted in a vehicle being placed out of service — but the citation now lives on your CSA record with a severity weight of 4. More telling: our database shows zero citations in the last 90 days and zero in the last 12 months, which means enforcement under this specific code has gone quiet recently. Even so, inspectors can and do write it when they see a cracked or obstructed windshield, and the citation count of 6,538 all-time confirms it is a real enforcement target. A window repair is inexpensive insurance against a repeat citation and cumulative BASIC score damage.

It follows both, but in different BASIC categories. For the carrier, the citation counts against the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC, where it accumulates with other equipment violations and affects the carrier's percentile ranking. For the driver, the same inspection event is recorded in the Driver Safety Measurement System (DSMS) and can affect the driver's individual profile, which prospective carriers can review during hiring. The top carriers in our records — including NEW PRIME INC with 35 citations and SWIFT TRANSPORTATION CO OF ARIZONA LLC with 34 — illustrate that even large fleets with strong safety programs accumulate these violations at scale, reinforcing why both driver-level and fleet-level accountability matter.