[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 97 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23928-23929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11839]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0068]


Notice of Technical Workshops and Demonstrations (One or Two Days 
During the Week of June 22, 2009)

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

ACTION: Notice of technical workshops and demonstrations.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that NHTSA will hold two compliance test 
program workshops to discuss and demonstrate the Office of Vehicle 
Safety Compliance (OVSC) Laboratory Test Procedures (TPs) for the 
agency's Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 216a, Roof 
crush resistance, and 49 CFR part 537, Automotive Fuel Economy Reports, 
vehicle foot print determination. Vehicle manufacturers and other 
interested persons who wish to participate in either of the workshops 
are asked to pre-register (the number of attendees may need to be 
limited due to space constraints) and are invited to submit test 
procedure related technical issues to be considered for discussion 
during the workshops. Attendance requires registration and is free.

Date and Time: The workshops and demonstrations for the test procedures 
will be held on one or two days during the week of June 22, 2009, 
beginning each day between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The workshops and demonstrations will be held at General 
Testing Laboratories (GTL) in Colonial Beach, Virginia. Directions to 
the meeting location and final agenda will be sent to registered 
participants.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For registration to one or both 
workshops, media representatives should contact Rae Tyson at (202) 366-
9550 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Congressional staff should 
contact Will Otero at (202) 366-9263 or via e-mail at 
[email protected]. All other interested parties should contact either 
Ms. Maritza Marshall or Ms. Elena Sonsev, contractors for the Office of 
Vehicle Safety Compliance, NVS-220, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
telephone (202) 366-6017 or (202) 366-9897 respectively, or via 
electronic mail at [email protected] or [email protected]. 
For technical issues relating to roof crush resistance testing, contact 
Mr. James Jones, at the same address, telephone (202) 366-5294, or via 
electronic mail at [email protected]. For technical issues relating 
to vehicle footprint measurements, contact Mr. John Finneran, at the 
same address, telephone (202) 366-0645, or via electronic mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    FMVSS No. 216a: On May 12, 2009, the agency upgraded FMVSS No. 
216a, Roof Crush Resistance, as part of its comprehensive plan for 
reducing the serious risk of death and injury in rollover crashes. For 
the vehicles currently subject to the standard, passenger cars and 
multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses with a GVWR of 2,722 
kilograms (6,000 pounds) or less, the final rule doubles the amount of 
force the vehicle's roof structure must withstand in the specified 
test, from 1.5 times the vehicle's unloaded weight to 3.0 times the 
vehicle's unloaded weight. The final rule also extends the 
applicability of the standard to vehicles up to a GVWR of 4,536 
kilograms (10,000 pounds), establishing a force requirement of 1.5 
times the vehicle's unloaded weight for these heavier vehicles. 
Vehicles must meet the specified force requirements in a two-sided test 
instead of a single-sided test, i.e., the same vehicle must meet the 
force requirements when tested first on one side and then on the other 
side of the vehicle. The final rule also establishes a new requirement 
for maintenance of headroom, i.e., survival space, in addition to the 
existing limit on the amount of roof crush. The final rule includes 
special provisions to address the needs of multi-stage manufacturers, 
alterers, and small volume manufacturers. NHTSA issued a TP indicating 
the protocol for the conduct of these tests.
    49 CFR Part 537: In the effort to substantially improve Corporate 
Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, NHTSA published a final rule on 
April 6, 2006, (applicable only to light trucks) and a final rule on 
March 30, 2009, (applicable to passenger cars and light trucks). The 
revised CAFE requirements specify that vehicle manufacturers must begin 
to derive target average fuel economy standards for each vehicle model 
type based upon the vehicle attribute known as, ``footprint.'' 
Footprint is defined as the product of the vehicle measurements for 
wheelbase and average track width. In the notices, NHTSA also required 
that

[[Page 23929]]

vehicle manufacturers report wheelbase, track width and footprint 
measurements for each vehicle configuration in their annual CAFE 
reports starting in model year (MY) 2008 for light trucks and MY 2011 
for passenger cars.
    To validate manufacturer's reported vehicle wheelbase, track width 
and footprint information, NHTSA issued a TP indicating the methods 
that will be used to physically measure these corresponding dimensions.
    Workshops: To enable interested parties and NHTSA personnel to 
discuss the questions concerning TP-216a and TP-537, NHTSA believes 
that it would be desirable to hold two technical workshops and 
demonstrations on these test procedures. The scope of these workshops 
is strictly limited to issues surrounding implementation of OVSC 
Laboratory Test Procedure TP-216a and TP-537. TP-216a and 537 are 
posted on the NHTSA Web site at http://www.dot.gov (under ``Test 
Procedures'' on the ``Vehicles and Equipment'' page).
    Agenda for the workshops and demonstrations: The workshops will be 
held one or two days during the week of June 22, 2009. The agenda 
includes technical discussions about the execution of the compliance 
tests, lunch (to be paid for by each participant), and physical test 
demonstrations. The following is a preliminary agenda for the 
workshops.

FMVSS No. 216a Workshop and Demonstration

I. Check-In
II. Welcome and Introductory Remarks
III. FMVSS No. 216a Final Rule Highlights
IV. OVSC Test Procedure TP-216a Content
V. Discussion of Technical Issues With Test Procedure
VI. Physical Demonstration of Roof Crush Test
VII. Questions & Answers

Part 537 Workshop and Demonstration

I. Check-In
II. Welcome and Introductory Remarks
III. CAFE Program Highlights
IV. OVSC Test Procedure TP-537 Content
V. Discussion of Technical Issues With Test Procedure
VI. Physical Demonstration of Foot Print Determination
VII. Questions & Answers

    Submission of Agenda Items: Written suggestions regarding test 
procedure technical issues to be included in the agenda(s) should be 
submitted to the address below and must be received by the agency on or 
before June 8, 2009. You may submit comments identified by DOT DMS 
Docket Number NHTSA 2009-0068 by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., West Building, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the Ground Level of the 
West Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the Online instructions for submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number for this technical workshop notice. Note that all 
comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read comments received, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-140 on the ground 
level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC, 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.
    To Register for this Workshop: Each person wishing to participate 
in one or both of the workshops must register with NHTSA by June 8, 
2009. You can register by contacting Mr. Rae Tyson (for media 
representatives), Will Otero (for Congressional members), Ms. Maritza 
Marshall or Ms. Elena Sonsev (for all other interested parties) on or 
before June 8, 2009; contact information for Mr. Rae Tyson, Mr. Otero, 
Ms. Marshall and Ms. Sonsev is listed above. To register, you must 
provide NHTSA with the name, title, organizational affiliation (if 
applicable), contact information (mailing address, phone numbers (Voice 
and fax), and email address), and specify if available lunch will be 
purchased. Food options on site are limited. Participants may purchase 
lunch in cash upon check-in each day. Ms. Marshall or Ms. Sonsev will 
have information about the lunch options and associated costs at time 
of registration. Due to space limitations, NHTSA may have to limit the 
number of participants per organization.
    You will be contacted only if this meeting is postponed or 
cancelled.

    Issued: May 15, 2009.
Harry Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. E9-11839 Filed 5-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P