| (a) Safety guards or flaps are required on all trucks,
trailers, or semitrailers (in combination with a towing vehicle),
if the rearmost axle of the vehicle (or combination) has four tires
or more, or at least two super single tires. They are not required
on buses, pole trailers, motor homes, or truck tractors. In this section,
"super single tire" means a wide-base, single tire that may be used
in place of two standard tires on the same axle.
(b) Safety guards or flaps shall be located and suspended
behind the rearmost wheels of such vehicle or if in combination behind
the rearmost wheels of such combination to within eight inches of
the surface of the roadway.
(c) A tolerance of four inches will be allowed.
(d) Safety guards or flaps shall be at least as wide
as the tires they are protecting.
(e) When trailers and semitrailers are operated in
combination with a towing vehicle, safety guards or flaps will be
required on the rearmost axle of such combination.
(f) Safety guards or flaps shall be of metal, rubber,
rubberized material, or other substantial material, capable of remaining
in place back of rear wheels by their own weight or structure while
the said vehicle is being operated.
(g) The construction of safety guards or flaps will
be such that they will remain in proper place back of rear wheels
and will be rigid enough to prevent slush, mud, gravel, and other
roadway material or debris being transmitted from the vehicle's rear
wheels to the windshield of the following vehicle.
(h) Safety guards or flaps should be securely mounted,
as wide as the tire that it is protecting, not split or torn to the
extent that it is ineffective and the bottom edge of the safety guard
or flap shall be no more than 12 inches from the surface of the roadway
while the vehicle is standing still, or otherwise not in motion.
(i) A flexible safety guard or flap may swing upwards
and backwards while the vehicle is moving, so long as the safety guard
or flap continues to block the trajectory of slush, mud, gravel, and
other roadway material or debris which would otherwise be transmitted
to the windshield of a following vehicle while both vehicles are in
motion.
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