[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54261-54262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20341]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


A Public Forum on Weighing Practices and Use of Stored Tare in 
Weighing Trucks Used for Commercial Purposes

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Announcement of a public forum on weighing practices and the 
use of stored tare with the weighing of trucks for commercial purposes.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Public Forum on Weighing 
Practices and the Use of Stored Tare with the Weighing of Trucks for 
Commercial Purposes will be held September 28, 2004, at the Department 
of Commerce, Washington, DC. This meeting is open to industry 
representatives, consumers, scale-owners-users, exporters, importers, 
retailers, Federal and State agencies, and other interested parties. 
Meeting registration can be found on the National Institute of 
Standards, Weights and Measures Web site (http://www.nist.gov/owm).

DATES: September 28, 2004.

ADDRESSES: The forum will be held at Department of Commerce, Herbert C. 
Hoover Building, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20230. Written correspondence can be directed to the NIST Weights and 
Measures Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2600, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-
2600, or via e-mail at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: G. Thomas Coleman, Weights and 
Measures Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2600, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-
2600, or via e-mail at [email protected], or fax at 301-926-0647.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose of Forum

    To review State laws and regulations relating to commercial 
transactions concerning net weight and scale

[[Page 54262]]

accuracy and use requirements as they relate to vehicle tare weights 
stored in computer memory.
    To examine weights and measures laws which require commercial 
transactions to be computed on the basis of net weight. There are 
numerous weighing applications (e.g., solid waste disposal and 
landfills, quarries, mining, agriculture, household moving and others) 
where net weights of commodities and/or service charges are determined 
using vehicle scales. Most commercial vehicle scales are required to be 
accurate to approximately 0.2 percent (e.g., 160 lbs at 80,000 lb), however, stored tare weights have been 
found to have errors of several thousand pounds. This forum will 
discuss the issues and alternatives that should be considered in an 
effort to balance buyer and seller interests in the accuracy of these 
transactions.
    To provide an opportunity for industry representatives, consumers, 
scale-owners-users, exporters, importers, retailers, Federal and State 
agencies, and other interested parties to understand how state and 
local weights and measures officials supervise the weighing of trucks 
and other vehicles to ensure accuracy and equity in the marketplace.
    To pursue partners to work with NIST, along with state and local 
weights and measures officials, in a national working group to identify 
industry and regulatory concerns (e.g., economic impact of incorrect 
weights versus the cost, in terms of time and money to weigh vehicles 
for both gross and tare weight).
    Another purpose is to solicit industry cooperation in reducing 
weighing inaccuracies through the identification and use of good 
weighing practices.

Participation--Advance Registration Required

    The forum is free and open to the public, but space is limited. 
Advance registration is required for Department of Commerce security 
purposes and to ensure that all participants receive a name badge 
(required to obtain access to the building) and handout materials. The 
deadline for registration is 5 p.m. EDT on September 21, 2004.

    Dated: August 31, 2004.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 04-20341 Filed 9-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P