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Darin Younce · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 342

I was wondering if anyone has ever been sited or put out of service because thier city horn ( center of steering wheel ) didn't work ? When I recently got a level 1 inspection , I was asked to blow the horn and noticed my city horn didn't work but my Air horn does. The inspector didn't say anything but you never know what different officers will say. The FMC safety regs just state that you have to have a working horn .

Fredog · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2169 Location: North Georgia

Darin Younce wrote: I was wondering if anyone has ever been sited or put out of service because thier city horn ( center of steering wheel ) didn't work ? When I recently got a level 1 inspection , I was asked to blow the horn and noticed my city horn didn't work but my Air horn does. The inspector didn't say anything but you never know what different officers will say. The FMC safety regs just state that you have to have a working horn .

I dont think they can as long as you have a horn

§393.81 Horn.

Every bus, truck, truck tractor, and every driven motor vehicle in driveaway towaway operations shall be equipped with a horn and actuating elements which shall be in such condition as to give an adequate and reliable warning signal.

MADLUX · Joined: 05 Jun 2005 Posts: 558 Location: Virginia Beach, VA

You can always say the particular truck wasn't ordered with a city horn

Darin Younce · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 342

Thanks Guys, MADLUX you may be correct because I looked everywhere for an electric horn , and could not find it. The only thing is that I pushed the horn button and I could hear a minor clicking sound somewhere under the dash , sorta like a relay clicking so I just need to get a manual and see where the horn would be .

Fredog · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2169 Location: North Georgia

Darin Younce wrote: Thanks Guys, MADLUX you may be correct because I looked everywhere for an electric horn , and could not find it. The only thing is that I pushed the horn button and I could hear a minor clicking sound somewhere under the dash , sorta like a relay clicking so I just need to get a manual and see where the horn would be .

it's usually on the firewall under the hood. see if it came unplugged. happens all the time

Darin Younce · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 342

I will take a closer look :wink:

Darin Younce · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 342

Well I found the horn, it is sanwiched between the radiator and grill. The thing is I had the hood tilted when looking , and it was rainy so I didn't get a good look under the front. I have power to the horn , I took my horn off of my old chevy 1/2 ton and it worked . The plug in is different so I will find a horn at a auto parts store hopefully. I was told by my old instructor that I could be cited ,possibly put OOS for not having it working. I tend to disagree because I believe in sec 393.81 the safety manual only says I need "a" horn , blah, blah, blah, anyway I will fix it anyway to be sure.

Orangetxguy · Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 1505

Darin Younce wrote: Well I found the horn, it is sanwiched between the radiator and grill. The thing is I had the hood tilted when looking , and it was rainy so I didn't get a good look under the front. I have power to the horn , I took my horn off of my old chevy 1/2 ton and it worked . The plug in is different so I will find a horn at a auto parts store hopefully. I was told by my old instructor that I could be cited ,possibly put OOS for not having it working. I tend to disagree because I believe in sec 393.81 the safety manual only says I need "a" horn , blah, blah, blah, anyway I will fix it anyway to be sure.

Unfortunately, whether you get sited for the lack of a city horn, is usually up to the discresion of each individual officer. Some local ordinance noise limits make air horns to loud to use...which is silly beyond comparison.

golfhobo · Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 2:59 am Post subject: Re: Horn

Fredog wrote: Darin Younce wrote: I was wondering if anyone has ever been sited or put out of service because thier city horn ( center of steering wheel ) didn't work ? When I recently got a level 1 inspection , I was asked to blow the horn and noticed my city horn didn't work but my Air horn does. The inspector didn't say anything but you never know what different officers will say. The FMC safety regs just state that you have to have a working horn .

I dont think they can as long as you have a horn

§393.81 Horn.

Every bus, truck, truck tractor, and every driven motor vehicle in driveaway towaway operations shall be equipped with a horn and actuating elements which shall be in such condition as to give an adequate and reliable warning signal.

So, if a child runs out in front of your truck, and you instinctively pound on the steering wheel "actuating element" for the city horn, and no sound comes out to warn the child, and you run him over DEAD.... are you NOT in violation of the REGS??

Orangetxguy said:

Quote: Some local ordinance noise limits make air horns to loud to use...which is silly beyond comparison.

Perhaps, that is why trucks are ALSO equipped with a CITY horn??? Like Kirstie Alley says..... "use your INSIDE voice!" Air horns are designed to overcome the loud roar of an engine at high RPM's, and (in some cases) wind noise, so that another DRIVER can hear your warning. Also..... deer and other animals are much more "attentive" to an air horn than a "city horn."

However, at the decibel level of the average city street, a city horn would be adequate as a warning device, whereas.... an air horn can be "excessively" startling, and cause an accident for just this reason.

Orangetxguy · Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 1505

Orangetxguy wrote: Darin Younce wrote: Well I found the horn, it is sanwiched between the radiator and grill. The thing is I had the hood tilted when looking , and it was rainy so I didn't get a good look under the front. I have power to the horn , I took my horn off of my old chevy 1/2 ton and it worked . The plug in is different so I will find a horn at a auto parts store hopefully. I was told by my old instructor that I could be cited ,possibly put OOS for not having it working. I tend to disagree because I believe in sec 393.81 the safety manual only says I need "a" horn , blah, blah, blah, anyway I will fix it anyway to be sure.

Unfortunately, whether you get sited for the lack of a city horn, is usually up to the discresion of each individual officer. Some local ordinance noise limits make air horns to loud to use...which is silly beyond comparison.

Now Golf..you went and chopped my statement up...which changes the maening of the statement.

A citation during a DOT inspection, for an inoperable city horn, is totally up to the discression of the inspecting officer. And I am serious about the city opdinance about use of the airhorn. While you and I both know that using the airhorn is the absolute best horn to use during an emergency...John and Sally Doe, living in Suburbia could care less that we know it. All they care about is that their neighborhood is quiet, and to that end John and Sally Doe's, nationwide, petition their city councils to eliminate such noises.
I know this makes no sense, but then, I received a noise ordinance ticket in August of 1998, from a Police Officer whom worked for the city of Bellevue WA. I had to use my air horn, while making a right hand turn, and saw a group of kids come running out of the city park that was on that corner. The officer was across the street, did not see the kids running towards the street, and only heard the horn. A Judge threw it out, only because I took the time to go to court.

Fredog · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2169 Location: North Georgia

golfhobo wrote: Fredog wrote: Darin Younce wrote: I was wondering if anyone has ever been sited or put out of service because thier city horn ( center of steering wheel ) didn't work ? When I recently got a level 1 inspection , I was asked to blow the horn and noticed my city horn didn't work but my Air horn does. The inspector didn't say anything but you never know what different officers will say. The FMC safety regs just state that you have to have a working horn .

I dont think they can as long as you have a horn

§393.81 Horn.

Every bus, truck, truck tractor, and every driven motor vehicle in driveaway towaway operations shall be equipped with a horn and actuating elements which shall be in such condition as to give an adequate and reliable warning signal.

So, if a child runs out in front of your truck, and you instinctively pound on the steering wheel "actuating element" for the city horn, and no sound comes out to warn the child, and you run him over DEAD.... are you NOT in violation of the REGS??

the way I read it, you're not, it doesnt say the actuating element has to be on the steering wheel, and I dont think there is a law requiring you to blow the horn when a kid runs in front of you. that's just something you do out of common sense. It seems if you know that your city horn doesnt work, you wouldnt be trying to blow it, you would blow your air horn and even if my city horn DID work, I would still blow the air horn, I want to be sure the kid HEARS it!!
with all that said, it probably wouldnt cost more than 20 bucks to fix the city horn, so I would fix it.
Orangetxguy said:

Quote: Some local ordinance noise limits make air horns to loud to use...which is silly beyond comparison.

Perhaps, that is why trucks are ALSO equipped with a CITY horn??? Like Kirstie Alley says..... "use your INSIDE voice!" Air horns are designed to overcome the loud roar of an engine at high RPM's, and (in some cases) wind noise, so that another DRIVER can hear your warning. Also..... deer and other animals are much more "attentive" to an air horn than a "city horn."

However, at the decibel level of the average city street, a city horn would be adequate as a warning device, whereas.... an air horn can be "excessively" startling, and cause an accident for just this reason.

dle · Joined: 03 Jan 2005 Posts: 731 Location: Texas

Has anyone on this board ever been cited for either horn being out of service?

How many of us, has driven (knowingly) with one or both horns inoperative?

For those those that have, do you in anyway feel that you compromised yours or the public's safety by doing so?

Orangetxguy · Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 1505

dle wrote: Has anyone on this board ever been cited for either horn being out of service?

How many of us, has driven (knowingly) with one or both horns inoperative?

For those those that have, do you in anyway feel that you compromised yours or the public's safety by doing so?

I received a fix it ticket from CHP at the Dunsmir CA inspection shed(SB I-5), for an inoperable city horn in 2003. Wire in the steer column was frayed and shorting.

Bandit102 · Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 242

I have the air horn, the city horn and 2 sets of train horns. Had a TXDOT officer tell me to blow the air horn AND the city horn. Then he noticed the train horns and asked me to blow them. One valve operates both train horns. I did, he dropped his clipboard, picked it back up, told me they were illegal, put CVSA stickers on my truck and off I went.

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