What 393.9B-LRR means in plain language
When you receive a 393.9B-LRR citation, an inspector found that one or more of your truck's reflex reflectors—the bright, reflective surfaces on the sides, rear, or front of your vehicle—were obscured, blocked, or unable to reflect light properly. Reflex reflectors are passive safety devices that don't require power; they bounce light from other vehicles' headlights back toward the source, making your truck visible in low-light conditions and at night.
Obscuration can happen several ways: dirt, mud, or road grime buildup; damage to the reflective surface itself; parts of the vehicle physically blocking the reflector; or deterioration of the reflective coating over time. Unlike a broken lamp, a reflector failure is about visibility through reflection, not illumination.
This is a maintenance violation, not a safety-critical defect that immediately grounds your truck. But it does compromise nighttime visibility for other drivers, which is why inspectors flag it during roadside checks.
What our enforcement data actually shows
Across our 13 million+ inspection records, 393.9B-LRR citations are relatively uncommon—we've logged 400 all-time citations, making this code rank #993 of 3,036 FMCSR codes by citation volume. In the last 12 months, we recorded 203 citations; in the last 90 days, 47.
The most important fact: this code has a 0.0% out-of-service rate all-time. No truck cited for obscured reflex reflectors has been placed out of service in our database. This contrasts sharply with the all-FMCSR average out-of-service rate of 31.4%, underscoring that this is a correctable maintenance issue, not an immediate roadworthiness disqualifier.
Citations for this violation have been rising steadily over the past year. We saw a low of 1 citation in April 2026, but prior months showed consistent 12–25 citations per month, with peaks in September 2025 (25 citations) and February 2026 (23 citations).
Who gets cited most
Our records show three states account for the majority of recent 393.9B-LRR citations. In the last 180 days:
- Nevada: 20 citations, 0.0% OOS rate
- Minnesota: 18 citations, 0.0% OOS rate
- California: 18 citations, 0.0% OOS rate
All three states show identical OOS rates (0.0%), indicating consistent enforcement approach and driver compliance once the violation is noted.
Among carriers in our all-time data, Jose Carlos Mendoza Hernandez (USDOT 1024222) has the highest citation count with 5, followed by Bell Energy Services LLC (USDOT 3114910) and Alejandra Esquivel Fernandez (USDOT 2351073), each with 4 citations. These numbers reflect the distributed nature of this violation across owner-operators and small to mid-sized fleets rather than concentration in any single large carrier.
How severe is this compared to similar codes
Comparing 393.9B-LRR to related vehicle lighting and reflector codes in the same category shows useful context:
- 393.9(a) — Inoperable required lamps: 660,737 all-time citations, 15.4% OOS rate. Broken lamps are cited far more frequently and result in out-of-service placements in about 1 in 6.5 cases.
- 393.11 — Lighting devices/reflectors: 179,734 all-time citations, 1.8% OOS rate. This broader reflector category has a low OOS rate but still nearly 450 times the citation volume of 393.9B-LRR specifically.
- 393.78 — Windshield condition defective: 157,894 all-time citations, 0.3% OOS rate. Like reflectors, windshield defects are low-severity violations rarely resulting in out-of-service status.
393.9B-LRR sits among the lowest-severity maintenance violations in the lighting category. You will not be removed from service, but the underlying issue—visibility—is real and worth fixing promptly.
How to avoid it
Obscured reflectors are preventable with routine attention. Here's what to do:
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Clean reflectors during every pre-trip inspection. Walk around your tractor and trailer. Use a rag or soft brush to remove dirt, mud, and road grime from all red reflectors (rear), amber/yellow reflectors (sides and corner), and white reflectors (front). Pay special attention to reflectors after rain, winter driving, or dirt-road conditions.
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Check for physical obstructions. Ensure no part of the vehicle body, cargo tie-downs, mud flaps, or loose fasteners are covering or partially blocking any reflector. Shift or repair anything in the way.
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Inspect reflector condition. Look for cracks, peeling coating, or cloudy surfaces on the reflector itself. If the reflective surface is damaged and no longer shiny, it needs replacement. Reflectors are inexpensive and quick to swap.
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Address co-occurring brake and tire issues. Our inspection data shows that vehicles cited for obscured reflectors often also have tire pressure defects (11 shared inspections in the last 90 days) and brake issues like slack adjuster defects (7 shared inspections). During your pre-trip walk-around, check tire pressure with a gauge and look for brake fluid leaks or unusual wear patterns. These are separate violations but signal overall vehicle condition needs attention.
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Watch for windshield and coupling defects. Six and eight shared inspections respectively in our recent data link to windshield obstructions and coupling device problems. A cluttered, dirty windshield and loose coupling hardware often appear alongside reflector neglect, suggesting a broader maintenance gap. A thorough pre-trip catches all three.
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Know your truck's reflector locations. Freightliner trucks (52 citations in our all-time data) and Kenworth units (34 citations) are the most frequently cited makes for this violation. If you drive one of these or similar models, familiarize yourself with every reflector location during your first week owning or leasing the vehicle so you don't miss any during routine checks.