[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 174 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49047-49049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-23427]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-99-5683; Notice 2]


Dan Hill & Associates, Inc.; Grant of Application for Renewal of 
Temporary Exemption From Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 224

    For the reasons explained below, we are granting the application by 
Dan Hill & Associates, Inc. (``Dan Hill''), of Norman, Oklahoma, for a 
renewal of its existing temporary exemption from Motor Vehicle Safety 
Standard No. 224, Rear Impact Protection. As it did in applying for the 
existing exemption, Dan Hill asserts that compliance would cause 
substantial economic hardship and that it has tried in good faith to 
comply with the standard.
    We published notice of receipt of the application in the Federal 
Register on May 19, 1999, and afforded an opportunity for comment 64 FR 
27353). No comments were received.
    We granted Dan Hill a 1-year temporary exemption from Standard No. 
224 on January 26, 1998 (63 FR 3784). The exemption was to expire on 
February 1, 1999, but Dan Hill filed a timely application for renewal. 
Under 49 CFR 555.8(e), the timely filing of a renewal application had 
the effect of automatically extending the exemption until we make a 
decision on the application. The company has requested an extension of 
this exemption until February 1, 2001.
    The information below is based on material from Dan Hill's original 
and renewal applications.

[[Page 49048]]

Why Dan Hill Says That it Needs to Renew its Exemption.

    Dan Hill manufactures and sells a horizontal discharge trailer 
(``Flow Boy'') that is used in the road construction industry to 
deliver asphalt and other road building materials to the construction 
site. The Flow Boy is designed to connect with and latch onto various 
paving machines (``pavers''). The Flow Boy, with its hydraulically 
controlled horizontal discharge system, discharges hot mix asphalt at a 
controlled rate into a paver which overlays the road surface with 
asphalt material.
    Standard No. 224 required, effective January 26, 1998, that all 
trailers with a GVWR of 4536 Kg or more, including Flow Boy trailers, 
be fitted with a rear impact guard that conforms to Standard No. 223, 
Rear impact guards. Installation of the rear impact guard will prevent 
the Flow Boy from connecting to the paver. Thus, Flow Boy trailers will 
no longer be functional and contractors will be forced to use standard 
dump body trucks or trailers with their inherent limitations and safety 
risks.

Why Dan Hill Says That Compliance Would Cause it Substantial 
Economic Hardship and That it has Tried in Good Faith to Comply 
With Standard No. 224.

    At the time of its application for the existing exemption, Dan Hill 
told us that it had manufactured 81 Flow Boy trailers in 1996 (plus 21 
other trailers). Its production in the 12-month period preceding its 
application for renewal was ``130 units for the domestic market and 35 
units for the international market.''
    Dan Hill originally asked for a year's exemption in order to 
explore the feasibility of a rear impact guard that would allow the 
Flow Boy trailer to connect to a conventional paver. It has 
concentrated its efforts this past year in investigating the 
feasibility of a retractable rear impact guard, which will enable Flow 
Boys to continue to connect to pavers.
    In the absence of an exemption, Dan Hill originally asserted that 
approximately 60 percent of its work force would have to be laid off; 
it now argues that failure to extend its exemption would ultimately 
cause a lay off of ``approximately 70 percent'' of its work force. If 
the exemption were not renewed, Dan Hill's gross sales would decrease 
by $8,273,117. Its cumulative net income after taxes for the fiscal 
years 1995, 1996, and 1997 was $303,303. It projected a net income of 
$356,358 for fiscal year 1998.
    At the time of its original application, its studies show that the 
placement of the retractable rear impact guard would likely catch 
excess asphalt as it was discharged into the pavement hopper. Further, 
the increased cost of the Flow Body would likely cause contractors to 
choose the cheaper alternative of dump trucks. Finally, the increased 
weight of the retractable rear impact guard would significantly 
decrease the payload of the Flow Boy.
    Dan Hill sent its Product Specialist to Germany in 1994 to view 
underride protection guards installed by a German customer on Flow Boy 
trailers but the technology proved inapplicable because of differences 
between German and American pavers. Manufacturers of paving machines 
are not interested in redesigning their equipment to accommodate a Flow 
Boy with a rear impact guard. Dan Hill contacted a British manufacturer 
of a retractable rear impact guard but the information received by the 
time of its initial application did not look encouraging.
    During the time that the exemption has been in effect, Dan Hill has 
continued its efforts to locate a source for a retractable rear impact 
guard, locating one in Europe which ``was in the process of designing a 
retractable guard that would meet Standard No. 223 specifications and 
attach to the Flow Boy trailer while allowing the Flow Boy to attach to 
a paver.'' However, the European retractable rear impact guard, which 
was of a ``swing out'' design, raised problems of worker safety, 
reduced payload because of the guard's weight, accumulation of asphalt 
paving material on the guard, and prohibitive costs.
    Dan Hill is now examining the feasibility of a ``swing in'' guard. 
It is working with an English source to develop a guard that will 
comply with Standard No. 223. Dan Hill will then install the guard on 
several Flow Boy trailers to determine whether further design 
modifications are required. It anticipates full compliance at the end 
of a further exemption of 2 years.

Why Dan Hill Says That a Temporary Exemption Would be in the Public 
Interest and Consistent With Objectives of Motor Vehicle Safety

    Dan Hill believes that an exemption would be in the public interest 
and consistent with traffic safety objectives because the Flow Boy aids 
in the construction of the national road system. Flow Boy spends very 
little of its operating life on the highway and the likelihood of its 
being involved in a rear-end collision is minimal. In addition, the 
design of the Flow Boy is such that the rear tires act as a buffer and 
reduce the likelihood of impact with the trailer.

Our Findings and Decision

    As the exemption renewal petitions by Dan Hill and by Red River 
Manufacturing, Inc. (see 64 FR 10737) demonstrate, manufacturers of 
horizontal discharge trailers continue to find it difficult to develop 
a retractable rear impact guard that complies with Standard No. 223, 
and to fit it to its trailers to comply with Standard No. 224. During 
the past year, Dan Hill has investigated the feasibility of a ``swing-
out'' design, which presented problems of an accumulation of asphalt 
paving material on the guard. Presently, it is examining a ``swing-in'' 
guard, and working with an English source to develop it. It anticipates 
full compliance by February 1, 2001. Dan Hill's yearly net income is 
substantially less than half a million dollars under the best of 
circumstances. Were the exemption denied, its estimated loss of gross 
sales exceeding $8,273,117 would appear to create a net loss of some 
magnitude.
    Given the fact that Dan Hill and its principal competitor Red River 
dominate the horizontal asphalt discharge trailer market, and that both 
are experiencing the same difficulties in achieving compliance, it is 
in the public interest to maintain the existing level of competition by 
affording equal treatment to both companies. We note, also, that the 
risk to safety is minimized to the extent that road construction 
trailers spend comparatively little of their operating life traveling 
on the highways.
    Accordingly, for the reasons set forth above, we hereby find that 
compliance with Standard No. 224 would cause substantial economic 
hardship to a manufacturer that has tried in good faith to comply with 
Standard No. 224, and that an exemption would be in the public interest 
and consistent with the objectives of traffic safety. NHTSA Temporary 
Exemption No. 98-1 from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 224, 
Rear Impact Protection, applicable to Flow Boy horizontal discharge 
construction trailers, is hereby extended to expire on February 1, 
2001. That date is slightly more than five years after Standard No. 224 
was issued, and NHTSA does not anticipate providing further extensions 
of exemptions from compliance with Standard No. 224.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30113; delegations of authority at 49 CFR 
1.50 and 501.4.


[[Page 49049]]


    Issued on September 1, 1999.
Ricardo Martinez,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-23427 Filed 9-8-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P