
[Federal Register: April 24, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 78)]
[Notices]               
[Page 18803-18804]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24ap09-122]                         

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NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0086]

 
Technical Report on the Maintenance and Repair Expenses to the 
ABS and Underride Guard on Heavy Tractors and Trailers

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Request for comments on technical report.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the publication by NHTSA of an analysis 
of the costs to repair and maintain the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) 
and Underride Guard (URG) on heavy tractors and trailers. Federal Motor 
Vehicle Safety Standards 121 and 105 mandate antilock braking systems 
(ABS) on all air-braked vehicles and hydraulic-braked trucks and buses 
with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or greater. FMVSS Nos. 223 and 224 require 
underride guards (URG) meeting a strength test on trailers with a GVWR 
of 10,000 pounds or greater.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than August 20, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Report: The technical report is available on the Internet 
for viewing in PDF format at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/
811109.PDF. You may obtain a copy of the report free of charge by 
sending a self-addressed mailing label to Kirk Allen (NVS-431), 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Washington, DC 20590.
    Comments: You may submit comments [identified by Docket Number 
NHTSA-2009-0086] by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 am and 5 pm Eastern Time, Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    You may call Docket Management at 202-366-9826.
    Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments, see 
the Procedural Matters section of this document. Note that all comments 
received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, 
including any personal information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kirk Allen, Statistician, Evaluation 
Division, NVS-431, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Room W53-457, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-9308. E-
mail: kirk.allen@dot.gov.
    For information about NHTSA's evaluations of the effectiveness of 
existing regulations and programs: Visit the NHTSA Web site at http://
www.nhtsa.dot.gov and click ``NCSA'' near the upper right corner on the 
home page; then click ``Regulatory Evaluation'' under ``Browse Topics'' 
on the ``NCSA'' page.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 
mandate antilock braking systems (ABS) on heavy vehicles and underride 
guards (URG) on heavy trailers. Repair receipts from in-service 
vehicles were analyzed to estimate the maintenance and repair expenses 
to the ABS and URG. The average ABS expenses per month of operation 
were $0.85 for tractors and $0.25 for trailers. The presence of ABS did 
not increase expenses to other parts of the brake system. The estimated 
lifetime maintenance and repair expenses were notably smaller than the 
cost of equipping new vehicles with ABS. Repairs to the trailer URG 
averaged $0.16 per month of service. (All values are in 2007 dollars.)

Procedural Matters

How can I influence NHTSA's thinking on this subject?

    NHTSA welcomes public review of the technical report. The agency is 
interested in learning of any additional data that may be useful in the 
evaluations. The availability of data on later model year tractors and 
trailers is especially relevant because ABS-equipped vehicles in this 
analysis could have been at most six years old. NHTSA will submit to 
the Docket a response to the comments and, if appropriate, will 
supplement or revise the report.

How do I prepare and submit comments?

    Your comments must be written and in English. To ensure that your 
comments are correctly filed in the Docket, please include the Docket 
number of this document (NHTSA-2009-0086) in your comments.
    Your primary comments must not be more than 15 pages long (49 CFR 
553.21). However, you may attach additional documents to your primary

[[Page 18804]]

comments. There is no limit on the length of the attachments.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477) or you may visit http://regulations.gov.
    Please send two paper copies of your comments to Docket Management, 
fax them, or use the Federal eRulemaking Portal. The mailing address is 
U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, M-30, 
West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. The fax number is 1-202-493-2251. To use the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal, go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments.
    We also request, but do not require you to send a copy to Kirk 
Allen, Statistician, Evaluation Division, NVS-431, National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, Room W53-312, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Washington, DC 20590 (or e-mail them to kirk.allen@dot.gov). He 
can check if your comments have been received at the Docket and he can 
expedite their review by NHTSA.

How can I be sure that my comments were received?

    If you wish Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of 
your comments, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the 
envelope containing your comments. Upon receiving your comments, Docket 
Management will return the postcard by mail.

How do I submit confidential business information?

    If you wish to submit any information under a claim of 
confidentiality, send three copies of your complete submission, 
including the information you claim to be confidential business 
information, to the Chief Counsel, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 
Include a cover letter supplying the information specified in our 
confidential business information regulation (49 CFR Part 512).
    In addition, send two copies from which you have deleted the 
claimed confidential business information to U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Management Facility, M-30, West Building, Ground 
Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
or submit them via the Federal eRulemaking Portal.

Will the agency consider late comments?

    In our response, we will consider all comments that Docket 
Management receives before the close of business on the comment closing 
date indicated above under DATES. To the extent possible, we will also 
consider comments that Docket Management receives after that date.
    Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will 
continue to file relevant information in the Docket as it becomes 
available. Further, some people may submit late comments. Accordingly, 
we recommend that you periodically check the Docket for new material.

How can I read the comments submitted by other people?

    You may read the materials placed in the docket for this document 
(e.g., the comments submitted in response to this document by other 
interested persons) at any time by going to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets. You may also 
read the materials at the Docket Management Facility by going to the 
street address given above under ADDRESSES. The Docket Management 
Facility is open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 30111, 30168; delegation of authority at 
49 CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

James F. Simons,
Director, Office of Regulatory Analysis and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. E9-9401 Filed 4-23-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
