National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed to require manufacturers to install a four-tire tire pressure monitoring system that is capable of detecting when a tire is more than 25 percent underinflated and warning the driver. The new standard would apply to passenger cars, trucks, multipurpose passenger vehicles and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, except those vehicles with dual wheels on an axle. For a copy of the proposal, visit this site and search Docket No. 19054.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, as promised earlier this year, has temporarily removed the motor carrier accident safety evaluation area and overall SafeStat scores from its Analysis & Information Online website (http://ai.volpe.dot.gov). The agency said it is working with state partners to improve the timeliness, completeness and accuracy of large truck and bus safety data. Carriers still can access their own accident SEA and overall SafeStat scores, which also remain available to FMCSA and its agents.
California’s legislature passed a bill (AB 1009) to require that heavy trucks operating in the state, including Mexican-domiciled trucks, meet federal air emissions standards for the model year the trucks were manufactured. The legislation would require that the California Air Resources Board consult with the state highway patrol to implement inspection protocol for determining if the engines meet these standards by Jan. 1, 2006.
Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, plans to conduct a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning the transmission of automated truck manifest data. A notice in the Sept. 13 Federal Register describes the test process, establishes eligibility requirements and invites public comment on the test, which will begin no earlier than Nov. 29.
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. said it is expanding its Paragould, Ark., dry van plant to meet increasing demand. The plant’s second assembly line will cover about 80,000 square feet.
In a move to address a federal court’s concerns, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking comments on a possible requirement that carriers use electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) to document their compliance with the hours-of-service regulations.
In an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) published Sept. 1, FMCSA noted that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia had concluded that Congress required the agency to collect and analyze data on the costs and benefits of requiring EOBRs. FMCSA noted the upcoming ANPRM in an Aug. 30 motion for a stay of the court’s July 16 decision vacating the hours-of-service regulations. (See “FMCSA, others want current hours rules for now,” page 15.)
