[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 47 (Monday, March 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11083-11084]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4301]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NTHSA-2007-27505]


Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: New Pneumatic Tires for 
Vehicles Other Than Passenger Cars

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DoT.

ACTION: Denial of petition for rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: This document responds to a petition for rulemaking regarding 
Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 119, Pneumatic Tires 
for Vehicles Other Than Passenger Cars. Pacific Coast Retreaders (PCR), 
a distributor of new truck tires that are manufactured in China, 
petitioned the agency on February 1, 2006, to amend FMVSS No. 119, 
paragraph S5.1, Tire and rim matching information (b). Specifically, 
PCR petitioned the agency to accept tire load rating data for two bias 
ply truck tire sizes, 10-20 and 11-22.5, from the Chinese tire 
standardization organization Guo Biao 9744-1997 (GB 9744). NHTSA has 
determined that this petition is moot with regard to the 10-20 size 
tires because the maximum load rating labeled on these tires, in the 
single and dual wheel configurations, meets the requirements of FMVSS 
No. 119. With regard to the 11-22.5 size tires, the agency denies the 
request by the petitioner that FMVSS No. 119, paragraph S5.1(b) be 
amended to include the GB 9744 maximum load rating for this single tire 
size. The agency does not consider amending the standard to include the 
specifications of a tire standardization organization for one tire 
size.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Samuel Daniel, Office of Crash 
Avoidance Standards, NVS-122, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, 
telephone (202) 366-4921, facsimile (202) 366-7002, electronic mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    PCR, a distributor of new truck tires manufactured in China, 
petitioned the agency on February 1, 2006, to accept the Chinese tire 
marking standards for two bias ply truck tire sizes, 10-20 and 11-22.5. 
The petitioner stated that the requirements in FMVSS No. 119, paragraph 
S5.1(b) are outdated and ``are well behind the changes in the 
intermodal transportation industry.'' The petitioner further stated 
that the Chinese tire marking standards from GB 9744 are not included 
in the list of marking standards referenced by NHTSA in FMVSS No. 119. 
However, PCR did not explicitly request that the GB 9744 publication be 
added to FMVSS No. 119.
    The petitioner provided a copy of a page from the Chinese GB 9744 
publication with information on the tire load limits at various cold 
inflation pressures, similar to a page of truck tire load-pressure 
values from the publications listed in paragraph S5.1(b) of FMVSS No. 
119. The publications that are already listed are as follows: Tire and 
Rim Association (TRA); European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization 
(ETRTO); Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JATMA); 
Deutsche Industrie Norm; British Standards Institution; Scandinavian 
Tire and Rim Organization (STRO); and the Tyre and Rim Association of 
Australia. The table on the page from the GB 9744 publication specifies 
a maximum load rating of 2,160 kg (4,752 pounds) for the 10-20 size 
tire load range F (12 ply-rated) in the dual wheel (four tires per 
axle) configuration. However, the Tire and Rim Association (TRA), which 
is the United States voluntary standards organization, in its 2005 Year 
Book specifies a maximum load rating of 2,180 kg (4,805 pounds) for the 
same tire size and configuration. The TRA publication also lists the 
value of the maximum load rating for the 11-22.5

[[Page 11084]]

size tire at 2,180 kg (4,805 pounds) for the load range F tires mounted 
on 15 degree drop center rims, whereas the GB 9744 document lists the 
value of the maximum load rating at 2,160 kg (4,752 pounds), according 
to the petitioner, or 20 kg pounds less than the TRA value.
    The petition states that the two subject tire sizes are used in the 
intermodal transportation industry on dual axle, dual wheel (8 tires 
and rims) trailers and container chassis with a total load rating for 
the two axles of 15,455 kg (34,000 pounds). Based on the maximum tire 
load rating, the TRA maximum load capacity for eight 10-20 or 11-22.5 
bias ply, load range F tires is 17,436 kg (38,440 pounds) and the 
maximum load capacity for eight similar tires based on the GB 9744 data 
obtained from the petitioner is 17,280 kg (38,016 pounds). Both load 
capacities are, according to the petitioner, well above the maximum 
allowable load limit (34,000 pounds) for the intermodal trailers and 
container chassis. The petitioner further stated that the small 
difference in maximum load rating between the GB 9744 and the TRA 
specifications is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety.
    FMVSS No. 119 establishes the safety performance requirements for 
tires used on vehicles other than passenger cars. The requirements for 
tire endurance, strength, high speed performance, treadwear indicators, 
and tire markings are specified in paragraph S6 of the standard and are 
tested in accordance with the conditions and procedures specified in 
paragraph S7.
    Paragraph S5.1(b) of FMVSS No. 119 lists the publications that may 
be used by tire manufacturers for rim matching, tire size, and maximum 
tire load rating with corresponding inflation pressure. Paragraph S6.6, 
Maximum load rating, requires that the maximum load rating labeled on a 
tire in accordance with paragraph S6.5, Tire markings, meet or exceed 
the lowest load rating value specified in the publications listed in 
Section 5.1(b) for that tire size.

B. Discussion

    FMVSS No. 119 allows tire manufacturers to use any one of the seven 
publications in S5.1(b) to obtain rim, and tire load and inflation 
pressure information for the labeling requirements of paragraph S6.5.
    The petitioner provided one page of the GB 9744 publication, which 
included one of the two bias ply tire sizes discussed in the petition. 
The agency does not recognize specifications for one or two tire sizes 
from a technical reference year book, but would consider recognition of 
an entire standardization publication.
    If the organization that publishes GB 9744 would like its 
publication to be considered for inclusion in the list of publications 
in FMVSS No. 119, paragraph S5.1(b), that organization is invited to 
submit information to NHTSA. The type of information contained in these 
publications includes its membership, objectives, and the organizations 
that provide technical support, in addition to its tire and rim 
specifications. PCR submitted a petition for rulemaking requesting that 
GB 9744 maximum tire load ratings for two tire sizes be accepted by 
NHTSA. However, PCR did not indicate whether it had any communication 
with the organization that publishes GB 9744 prior to submitting the 
petition. NHTSA does not consider recognizing tire standardization 
organizations upon the request of tire distributors.
    The petitioner believes that the agency is accepting tire markings 
(paragraph S6.5, Tire markings) from sources that are not on the list 
in paragraph S5.1(b). The agency does not accept tire maximum load 
ratings that do not comply with the requirements in paragraph S6.6, 
which state that the maximum load rating for a particular tire size 
must be equal to or greater than the lowest maximum load rating for 
that tire size published in the list of technical reference year books 
in paragraph S5.1(b).

C. Agency Determination

    After review of the tire specifications from the sources listed in 
FMVSS No. 119, the Scandinavian Tire and Rim Technical Organization 
publication has the lowest values for the maximum load rating of the 
10-20 size tire with 2,305 kg (5,071 pounds) for the single application 
rating and 2,120 kg (4,664 pounds) for the dual rating. The GB 9744 
values for the maximum load rating for 10-20 bias ply tire, load range 
F, 2,465 kg (5,434 pounds) for the single rating and 2,160 kg (4,752 
pounds) for the dual rating, are greater than the values specified in 
the Scandinavian Tire and Rim Technical Organization publication for 
that size tire. Tire manufacturers may label the 10-20 size tires with 
the GB 9744 value for the rated maximum load without violating the 
requirements of FMVSS No. 119, S6.6 Maximum load rating. Therefore, 
PCR's petition is moot with regard to the 10-20 tire size.
    The Tire and Rim Association value for maximum load rating is the 
lowest value for 11-22.5 size tires 2,180 kg (4,805 pounds) specified 
in the publications listed in paragraph S5.1(b) of FMVSS No. 119. The 
documents forwarded to the agency by the petitioner do not include 
maximum load data for the 11-22.5 tire size, but NHTSA was informed by 
the petitioner that the 11-22.5 tire size has the same maximum load 
rating as the 10-20 tire size. Therefore, labeling an 11-22.5 size tire 
with the GB 9744 value for maximum load rating would not comply with 
the standard as currently written.
    The PCR petition with respect to the 11-22.5 size tires is denied 
because the agency does not consider adding specifications for a single 
tire size to the accepted reference documents in paragraph S5.1(b) of 
FMVSS No. 119.

    Issued: March 6, 2007.
Stephen R. Kratzke,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. E7-4301 Filed 3-9-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P