California Code of Regulations › Title 13 - Motor Vehicles › Division 2 - Department of the California Highway Patrol › Chapter 6.5 - Motor Carrier Safety › Article 8 - General Equipment Requirements › Section 1249 - Wiring

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
Wiring and fuses on vehicles shall be as follows:
(a) Specifications. Wiring for circuits shall
				  be constructed and installed to conform with mechanical and electrical
				  requirements not less than those recommended for automobile wiring in the 1952
				  or any later edition of the SAE Handbook. Required lamps shall be connected to
				  the source of power with stranded wire. This shall not prohibit use of the
				  frame or other metal parts of a motor vehicle as a ground-return system,
				  provided there is adequate electrical grounding between towing and towed
				  vehicles.
(b) Wiring Protection.
				  Wires shall be grouped together and protected either by nonmetallic tape,
				  braid, or other covering capable of withstanding severe abrasion or a metallic
				  sheath or tube. Wiring shall be properly supported and located so as to avoid
				  becoming charred, overheated, or enmeshed in moving parts. Insofar as is
				  practical, wiring shall not be adjacent to any part of the fuel system. Unless
				  the wiring is metal covered, the edges of all holes in metal through which the
				  wiring passes shall be rolled or bushed with a grommet of rubber or other
				  suitable material.
(c) Wire Size
				  and Connectors. Wires shall be of sufficient size to eliminate excessive
				  voltage drop and to prevent overheating. All joints shall be soldered or
				  fastened both mechanically and electrically with equally effective connectors
				  and shall be insulated. Voltage at the bulb sockets when lamps are burning
				  shall be at least 85% of the design voltage of the bulb with the engine
				  running.
(d) Detachable
				  Connections. The electrical wiring of detachable connections between towing and
				  towed vehicles shall be contained in a cable, cables, or other substantially
				  constructed protective device, and shall be mechanically and electrically
				  adequate and free of short or open circuits. Suitable provisions shall be made
				  for the prevention of an incorrect connection or an accidental disconnection.
				  Any detachable connection made by twisting wires together from the towed and
				  towing units is prohibited. Wires or cables shall have sufficient slack to
				  accommodate all normal motion of the parts to which they are attached without
				  damage to the connection.
(e) Spare
				  Fuses. Each combination of vehicles or each motor vehicle if operated singly
				  shall be equipped with at least one spare fuse or other overload protective
				  device, if the devices used are not of a reset type, for each kind and size
				  used. In driveaway-towaway operations, spares located on any one of the
				  vehicles will be deemed adequate.
1. Amendment
					 of first paragraph and new subsection (e) and NOTE filed 6-17-96; operative
					 7-17-96 (Register 96, No. 25).
Note: Authority cited: Section
						34501,
						Vehicle Code. Reference: Section
						34501,
						Vehicle Code.