FMCSA renews Loomis armored-truck door exemption to 2031: how a vehicle-parts exemption works

FMCSA has renewed a five-year exemption that lets Loomis Armored US run armored trucks with welded-shut cab doors.

The notice went on public inspection on October 27 and publishes in the Federal Register on October 28. It is a narrow decision, but it is a clean example of how FMCSA parts and accessories exemptions work.

The rule

49 CFR 393.203(a) says cab doors used to get in or out:

• can't be missing or broken
• can't sag so they won't open or close properly
• can't be wired shut or otherwise secured so they can't be readily opened

The only built-in exception is a cab blocked by a load of pipe or bar stock, when the cab has a roof exit.

What Loomis is allowed to do

FMCSA first granted Loomis (USDOT 252201) this exemption on October 18, 2021. The renewal runs October 14, 2026 through October 13, 2031.

Loomis may weld shut the original driver and passenger cab doors. In their place it uses:

• an emergency escape hatch behind the driver's seat
• a messenger door behind the front passenger seat
• two high-security, biometric-enabled doors behind the cab, with an inside-only override if power is lost

FMCSA says Loomis crews are trained on the doors, including how to use them after a rollover. The agency also says it has not become aware of any safety concerns with these trucks since 2021.

The comments

FMCSA got two comments. Apex Transportation supported renewal. AWM Associates opposed it, questioning whether the trucks run in interstate commerce, whether they meet the glazing rules in 393.60 and state rules, and pointing to past part 393 and 396 violations.

FMCSA answered that Loomis is registered as an interstate carrier operating nationwide. It said none of the listed violations related to the exemption, and that glazing and state questions were outside the scope of the request.

The fine print every carrier should know

The terms are typical of FMCSA vehicle exemptions:

1. It is company-specific. It covers only vehicles operated by Loomis, not other armored carriers.
2. It covers one change only. Welded cab doors plus two new doors behind the cab. No other modifications are covered.
3. Every other rule still applies. Loomis must comply with all other FMCSRs in parts 350 to 399.
4. States can't enforce a conflicting rule in interstate commerce, but they don't have to adopt the exemption for intrastate trips.
5. It can be revoked if the terms are broken or safety slips.