Violation codes / 390.21TB1-MC
49 CFR 390 · General requirements390.21TB1-MC
Operating a CMV without legal name or trade name displayed
What the rule actually says
This violation cites 49 CFR 390.21, marking of self-propelled cmvs and intermodal equipment. The regulation reads:
(a) General. Every self-propelled CMV subject to subchapter B of this chapter must be marked as specified in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, and each unit of intermodal equipment interchanged or offered for interchange to a motor carrier by an intermodal equipment provider subject to subchapter B of this chapter must be marked as specified in paragraph (g) of this section.
(b) Nature of marking. The marking must display the following information:
(1) The legal name or a single trade name of the motor carrier operating the self-propelled CMV, as listed on the Form MCSA-1, the URS online application, or…
The section continues.
49 CFR 390.21, Marking of self-propelled CMVs and intermodal equipment. Read the full section on eCFR
Quoted verbatim from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Nothing here is a paraphrase, and nothing here is legal advice on a citation.
How often this comes up
This violation was recorded 81,989 times across the roadside inspections in the FMCSA file, making it the 43rd most frequently cited code. Whether a given instance puts a vehicle or driver out of service is decided at the roadside by the inspector, not by the code itself, so the same violation can end a trip or simply be noted.
It sits under 49 CFR Part 390, which covers general requirements. To see it in context, look up a carrier and read its inspection history: the same code appearing repeatedly is a different signal from a single occurrence.
Look up a carrier's inspection record
Other general requirements violations
- 390.21TB2-DOT Operate a CMV without USDOT number displayed…
- 390.21TB Carrier name and/or USDOT Number not display…
- 390.21A Not marked in accordance with regulations
- 390.19B2-BIENNIAL Motor Carrier failed to file biennial FMCSA …
- 390.21TC-MC Required CMV marking(s) not legible from 50 …
- 390.21TA CMV not marked in accordance with regulation…
Counts are from the FMCSA Inspections and Violations file via data.transportation.gov. This describes how the violation is recorded, and is not legal advice on a citation.