What NHTSA proposed
NHTSA published a notice of proposed rulemaking on October 26 that would amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108. The proposal would allow cyan ADS marker lamps as optional equipment and set requirements for their color, number, placement, activation, visibility and brightness.
The marker-lamp proposal is an if-equipped standard. NHTSA is not proposing to require every automated vehicle to carry the lamps. When used, the lamps would be steady-burning and would indicate that the automated driving system is in full control without an expectation that an occupant is monitoring the roadway.
Other lighting changes in the proposal
For vehicles without manually operated driving controls, NHTSA proposes to narrow requirements tied specifically to human-operated turn-signal, hazard-warning and headlamp-beam controls and related telltales. The vehicle would still need a way to operate required signals and switch beams; the proposal would remove only specified manual-control requirements.
The same proposal would change how integral-beam headlamps are tested and remove an old rule that dictates the vertical order of upper- and lower-beam headlamps. FMVSS 108 applies broadly to passenger cars, trucks, buses, trailers other than specified exceptions, and motorcycles, but the ADS-specific provisions apply only where the defined automated-driving conditions are met.
What drivers should know now
This is a proposal, not a final rule. It does not authorize fleets or drivers to add their own cyan lights today, create a new CDL requirement or change how a driver should respond to an automated truck. Existing federal and state lighting rules remain in force unless and until a final rule takes effect.
Comments on docket NHTSA-2026-1519 are due November 25, 2026. NHTSA specifically seeks input on how the proposed federal standard would interact with state laws that reserve blue or other lamp colors for enforcement and other uses.
Primary sources and supporting records
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration / Federal Register: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 108 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped VehiclesPrimary proposed-rule record, scope and November 25 comment deadline • Published 2026-10-26 • Checked October 29, 2026 at 7:10 AM
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: NHTSA Updates Vehicle Lighting Standards for AVsPrimary agency summary of the proposal and docket • Published 2026-10-23 • Checked October 29, 2026 at 7:10 AM
- U.S. Department of Transportation: Federal Register Document 2026-21794Official DOT confirmation of the proposed changes • Published 2026-10-26 • Checked October 29, 2026 at 7:10 AM
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