[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 184 (Friday, September 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23527]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 23, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

 

Announcement of the Ninth Meeting of the Heavy Truck Subcommittee 
of the Motor Vehicle Safety Research Advisory Committee

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Meeting announcement.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the ninth meeting of the Heavy Truck 
Subcommittee of the Motor Vehicle Safety Research Advisory Committee 
(MVSRAC). The MVSRAC established this Subcommittee at the February 1988 
meeting to examine research questions regarding crashworthiness and 
crash avoidance for vehicles over 10,000 pounds.

DATES AND TIMES: The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25, 
1994, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in room 6332 of the U.S. Department 
of Transportation Building, which is located at 400 Seventh Street, 
SW., Washington, D.C.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Motor Vehicle Safety Research Advisory 
Committee was established in May 1987. The purpose of the Committee is 
to provide an independent source of ideas for safety research. The 
MVSRAC provides information, advice, and recommendations to NHTSA on 
matters relating to motor vehicle safety research and provides a forum 
for the development, consideration, and communication of motor vehicle 
safety research, as set forth in the MVSRAC Charter.
    At the White House Conference on Global Climate Change in June of 
1993, a number of measures to reduce greenhouse gasses were discussed. 
One of the many measures related to vehicle fuel economy that was 
discussed was a suggestion to foster the increased use of low rolling 
resistance tires in the aftermarket. A Heavy Vehicle Tire Rolling 
Resistance Task Force has been established, under the Subcommittee, to 
explore ways of achieving that objective. The Task Force Chairperson 
will provide a status report on current activities with truck tire 
manufacturers, truck fleets, and owner organizations to promote a 
voluntary truck tire rolling resistance program. This status report 
will be followed by a discussion with the Subcommittee members relative 
to how best to proceed further on this subject.
    At the third meeting of the Subcommittee, a Truck Tire Traction 
Task Force was established to develop a proposal for a cooperative 
government-industry research program to produce a method of uniformly 
measuring truck tire combined lateral and longitudinal traction 
characteristics. Under the auspices of the Society of Automotive 
Engineers (SAE), Phase I of this program was initiated to develop a 
standardized test procedure for characterizing pertinent tire 
properties. Phase II will utilize the developed test procedure in a 
full-scale test program to establish a data base of pertinent tire 
characteristics that will serve as input to vehicle dynamics models and 
as benchmarks for vehicle component design. NHTSA's Office of Research 
and Development will provide a status report on this cooperative 
government-industry research activity which will be followed by a 
discussion with the Subcommittee members to further clarify the 
objectives of this program.
    The SAE Truck Crashworthiness Subcommittee determined that 
fundamental research was needed to define a ``typical and 
representative'' crash environment that can be used as a benchmark 
against which design improvements for heavy truck occupant crash 
protection could be judged. The Heavy Truck Occupant Crash Protection 
cooperative research program was subsequently initiated under the 
auspices of the SAE and is underway. Support funding has been obtained 
from a wide range of industry and government sources. A status report 
on this research program will be provided by NHTSA's Office of Research 
and Development to be followed by a discussion with the Subcommittee 
members relative to the goals and schedule of this program.
    As directed by Report 103-310 of the Senate's Committee on 
Appropriations accompanying H.R. 4556, Department of Transportation And 
Related Agencies Appropriations Bill 1995, NHTSA will develop a 5-year 
strategic plan outlining the future of its Heavy Truck Safety Program. 
This report is to be delivered to the House and Senate Appropriations 
Committees before the agency's hearing next year. The report should 
outline the scope, nature, and direction of a revitalized Heavy Truck 
Safety Program, and be developed in consultation with the American 
Trucking Association Foundation, the Office of Motor Carriers, and the 
Motor Vehicle Safety Research Advisory Committee. At a minimum, the 
plan should address the objectives of NHTSA's future research in cab 
ergonomics, crashworthiness, human factors, and future population 
demographics and their relationship to driver safety. Since heavy truck 
safety is a very broad subject area, NHTSA's Office of Research and 
Development is proposing that during this announced meeting with the 
Heavy Truck Subcommittee, topics suitable for incorporation in a 5-year 
strategic plan be identified. In this meeting, efforts should be 
directed at developing a process for systematically evaluating and 
prioritizing the possible heavy truck research topics for the 5-year 
plan based on inputs from members of the Subcommittee.
    At this Subcommittee meeting, an initial assessment of potential 
research focus areas will be made. The objective of the discussions 
will be to identify the current state of knowledge in each particular 
area, ongoing activities relevant to the topic, identification of 
information that is needed to make progress in area, and discussion of 
whether the subject area is worth pursuing and, if so, whether it 
should be a short, medium, or long range priority.
    The meeting is open to the public, and participation by the public 
will be determined by the Subcommittee Chairperson.
    A public reference file (Number 88-01) has been established to 
contain the products of the subcommittee and will be open to the public 
during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration's Technical Reference Division in Room 
5108 at 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 
366-2768.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William A. Leasure, Jr., Chairperson, 
Heavy Truck Subcommittee, Office of Research and Development, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Room 6220, Washington, DC., 20590, telephone (202) 
366-5662.

    Issued on: September 16, 1994.
George L. Parker,
Chairman, Motor Vehicle Safety Research Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 94-23527 Filed 9-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-M