Carbon Monoxide Detector in Sleeper Berths: FMCSA Petition

What happened

A carbon monoxide detector in every sleeper berth could become a rule one day. On Oct. 13, 2026, a truck driver sent a petition to FMCSA asking for it, CDLLife reported. FMCSA is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency that writes the safety rules for trucks.

The driver is Todd Daum from Cincinnati. He holds a CDL-A with hazmat and tanker endorsements. He is also a retired firefighter.

His petition asks for a rule for trucks with a sleeper berth. It asks for:

• A battery-powered carbon monoxide (CO) alarm close to where the driver breathes.
• A test of the alarm every seven days.
• A broken alarm replaced before the truck is dispatched.
• The driver gets out of the truck if the alarm sounds.
• The truck gets inspected before it goes back out after an alarm.
• No butane, propane or other fuel-burning stoves or heaters in the cab.

There is already a rule about carbon monoxide. It is 49 CFR 392.66. It says a truck must not be dispatched when carbon monoxide has been found in it. But it does not require a detector in the sleeper berth. Daum says that is the gap.

The petition points to a sad case. In January 2023, a 61-year-old trucker died from carbon monoxide inside his cab. After that, a Washington State safety program called WA FACE recommended battery-powered CO alarms in truck cabs and sleeper berths.

What it means for owner-operators

This is a petition, not a rule. FMCSA is looking at it. Nothing changes for you today, and nobody can say yet if it will become a rule.

But the danger is real right now. Carbon monoxide is a gas you cannot see or smell. It can build up from a leak in the exhaust, an idling engine or a heater that burns fuel. When you are asleep, you will not notice it.

You also do not need to wait for a rule. A small battery-powered CO alarm is easy to find and easy to mount in the sleeper.

What to do next

• Put a battery-powered CO alarm in your sleeper. Mount it near your head, where you breathe.
• Test it every week. Change the batteries when it asks.
• If it goes off, get out. Get fresh air first. Do not drive the truck until it is checked.
• Do not use fuel-burning stoves or heaters in the cab.
• Have your exhaust checked if you smell fumes or get headaches in the truck.
• Keep your safety file ready. A clean safety record matters when you are new. Read our new entrant safety audit guide.

Questions about your USDOT file or FMCSA rules? Call TCZ Permits at 956-526-6727.