Are there any exceptions to "covered vehicles"?

Yes. Covered vehicles with operable video or similar technological capability providing the driver with a full view behind the vehicle are exempt from the requirement to use a ground guide.

To the extent that any federal Department of Transportation (DOT) regulation applying to covered vehicles conflicts with this regulation, the DOT regulations shall take precedence.

Covered vehicles that did not have a backup alarm when manufactured, or were not later retrofitted with an alarm, are exempt from the requirement to have a backup alarm. Note: if the manufacturer offered the employer a backup alarm retrofit package at a reasonable and economically feasible cost, and the employer did not have the retrofit package installed, this exemption does not apply.