Section 392.2 says every commercial motor vehicle "shall be operated in accordance with the laws, ordinances, and regulations of the jurisdiction in which it is being operated." When a driver fails to obey a traffic control device, the inspection report records it under §392.2, and FMCSA's Safety Measurement System codes it as 392.2C, "Failure to obey traffic control device." The State or local law version is 392.2-SLLTCD, which SMS Appendix A describes as a permanent or temporary device: a safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, or other.
Severity weight
SMS Appendix A (version 3.21, revised May 2026) lists both 392.2C and 392.2-SLLTCD at severity weight 5 in the Unsafe Driving BASIC, in its "Dangerous Driving" group with following too close, improper lane changes, improper passing, and failure to yield. The weight counts in the Safety Measurement System for 24 months, time-weighted so recent citations count most.
How to prevent it
- Add traffic-control compliance to your driver-orientation curriculum and document the training.
- Use telematics events (hard braking near intersections, harsh acceleration) to identify drivers needing coaching before a citation.
- Review every roadside inspection with the driver — even non-citation findings — so patterns surface early.
- Re-train after every §392.2 citation and keep a record of it. The annual driving-record review must give great weight to violations that show disregard for public safety (§391.25(b)(2)).
How Roadworthy HQ helps
A traffic-control citation lands on the driver. Roadworthy HQ does not record individual violation codes, pull CSA or SMS scores, or track coaching. What it keeps is the driver file an auditor opens next: the annual MVR and the §391.25 annual review, each with reminders 60, 30, and 7 days out, and the qualification-file documents with their retention periods enforced. If the citation came from a roadside inspection, log that inspection on the vehicle (date, state, level, driver, number of violations, out-of-service or not).