Anybody using a space heater?

OMG, are you serious?

The regulations also dictate the color of marker and clearance lights. DOT needs to get off their ##### and start writing tickets in truck stops and at truck shows, because those 2 color Revolution lights are illegal! *insert face-palm emoji here*

I'm sorry, but if you need a source to confirm that the FMCSA equipment regs don't apply to a parked truck, there's nothing on this earth bright enough to let the light be seen.

As far as what the heater regulation pertains to... Read the entirety of the section, it's blatantly obvious it's referring to combustion heaters. Much of that reg was updated in the early 50's. The electrical systems of that era were pretty marginal, and largely precluded the use of any electrical equipment with the kind of draw an electric heater has.

 

I ran a gasoline generator bolted either to a frame on the side or in between the frame rails from 1984 to 2020 on 4 different tractors.
the generators in question all had large enough tanks for the generator to run full load for 10 hours. They were all gravity fed with a shutoff valve, which satisfied the regulation regarding fuel spillage. Honda's by the way. Worth the extra money.

Never had a question about it from anyone in any enforcement capacity
In 35 years you would think in the dozens of inspections that were done on my unit someone would have said something.
We used to haul all sorts of entertainment trailers that came from the factory with gasoline generators mounted on them. Totally legal.

As far as the electric heater? I have done them also. If you are concerned about the portable part, make it unportable. Bolt it down.
In reality, an electric space heater is only capable of about 4500 btu's of heat. An Espar or Webasto Airtop 2000 is capable of around 7000 btu's
And uses less diesel than the generator will use gasoline, and far less maintenance.

 

Good now I'll worry about it when dot or any Leo starts enforcing the reg's about light color...
3 colors are allowed on ANY VEHICLE.... thats WHITE...... YELLOW (amber) and RED

 

Using your logic, you better uninstall the cab curtains, because the regs plainly state that the driver's view must remain unobstructed. Doesn't matter that they're only used when parked...

 

You SAY that, but youre wrong, i see plenty with em drawn up covering the whole pass/driver side window

 

One could argue that based on which trucks one is likely to see the curtains pulled forward, that such behavior has a minimal effect on safety, as the drivers of those trucks rarely use the side windows or mirrors when they're driving.

 

While a fair observation, it does rather seem that regulations seem written for lowest common denominator

 

Does anyone know why portable/ceramic heaters are illegal?

 

Id imagine the regulation is for prohibiting portable heaters while driving, which makes sense for obvious reasons. How can it be illegal to have one in your truck unplugged/off?

Honestly, i just don't care anymore. If I want a portable heater i am going to have one.

It says "installation or use". How do you install a portable heater? Do these regs apply to all vehicles? If we are going to nitpick, that means it would be illegal to even transport a portable heater in your car.