Department of Transportation August 31, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), we (NHTSA) seek to address the problem of motor home and travel trailer overloading by proposing to amend the Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) on tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars. We are also proposing a related amendment to our safety standard for tire selection and rims for light vehicles. We propose to require manufacturers of motor homes and travel trailers over 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) GVWR to provide information to consumers in a label that is intended to inform the consumer about the vehicle's cargo carrying capacity (CCC). This information would be helpful both at the time the consumer is making a purchase decision and also as the consumer uses his or her vehicle. We also propose to require that the size of tires on the same motor homes and travel trailers be the same as the size of the tires listed on the tire information label required by the standard on tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars. We are limiting our CCC label to motor homes and travel trailers with a GVWR greater than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) as these are the vehicles that have large open interior areas that consumers fill with cargo. Recreational vehicles (RV) with GVWRs equal to or less than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) will be required to have less detailed CCC information as a result of an amendment to the FMVSS on tire selection and rims, which becomes effective September 1, 2005. It should be noted that on June 1, 2007, the FMVSS on tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars will apply to vehicles with a GVWR greater than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) and the FMVSS on tire selection and rims will apply to vehicles with a GVWR equal to or less than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds). It is our belief that this proposed rule complements the efforts of the recreational vehicle industry to provide consumers with information in order to help reduce overloading motor homes and travel trailers. This rulemaking responds to a petition from Ms. Justine May. In addition, this proposed rule would provide regulatory relief for dealers from a labeling requirement in the safety standard on tire selection and rims for light vehicles. The standard's requirement may currently require dealers which add even small amounts of weight to re- label the vehicles. Under the proposed amendment, dealers that add weight in excess of 0.5 percent of the vehicles' gross vehicle weight ratings would be required to disclose this extra weight on labels affixed to the vehicles. Dealers could add lesser amounts of weight without needing to change or add labels.

This document responds to Section 4(b) and Section 3(b)(2) of Anton's Law, which directed NHTSA to initiate rulemaking on child restraint system safety, with a specific focus on booster seats and restraints for children who weigh more than 50 pounds (lb). After the enactment of Anton's Law, this agency increased the applicability of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 213, Child restraint systems, from restraints recommended for children up to 50 lb to restraints recommended for children up to 65 lb. Today's document proposes a further expansion, to restraints recommended for children up to 80 lb. It also proposes to require booster seats and other restraints to meet performance criteria when tested with a crash test dummy representative of a 10-year-old child. Section 4(a) and all other provisions of Section 3 were addressed in rulemaking documents issued previously by NHTSA.