§392.2 requires every commercial motor vehicle to be operated in accordance with the laws, ordinances, and regulations of the jurisdiction it is in, so a following-too-close citation is the State's tailgating law written up under §392.2. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System codes it as 392.2FC, "Following too close"; the State or local law version is 392.2-SLLFC.
Severity weight
SMS Appendix A (version 3.21, revised May 2026) lists 392.2FC and 392.2-SLLFC at severity weight 5 in the Unsafe Driving BASIC, in its "Dangerous Driving" group with improper lane changes, improper passing, failure to yield, and failure to obey a traffic control device. Each counts for 24 months, time-weighted so recent citations count most. A few of them weigh heavily on a small carrier, because the Unsafe Driving measure divides the weighted violations by the carrier's average power units, adjusted for miles driven per unit (SMS Methodology, Section 3).
How to prevent it
- Teach the four-second rule for tractor-trailers and reinforce it in the driver-orientation packet.
- Set telematics following-distance alerts where the ELD/MDT supports it; document driver coaching when alerts fire.
- After any rear-end accident, retrain the driver and keep a record of it.
- Avoid scheduling that creates time pressure.
How Roadworthy HQ helps
A following-too-close 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).