[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 127 (Monday, July 2, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39206-39207]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16174]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 571

[Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0065]


Public Hearing on Proposed Rule for Heavy Vehicle Electronic 
Stability Control Systems

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

ACTION: Announcement of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: On May 23, 2012, NHTSA published a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPRM) to require the installation of electronic stability 
control (ESC) systems on truck tractors and large buses. NHTSA is 
announcing a public hearing to provide an opportunity for the public to 
present oral testimony regarding the proposal. The oral testimony 
provided at the public hearing will be transcribed and placed in the 
docket for this rulemaking.

DATES: NHTSA will hold a public hearing on July 24, 2012, at the U.S. 
Department of Transportation headquarters building in Washington, DC. 
The hearing will start at 10 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m., local 
time. If necessary to accommodate a large number of presenters, the 
hearing may continue beyond 2 p.m. as determined by the presiding 
official at the hearing. If you would like to present oral testimony at 
the public hearing, or attend the public hearing as an observer, please 
contact the person identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT at 
least ten days before the hearing. Depending on the available space, 
registration for persons attending the public hearing as observers may 
be accepted after that date.

ADDRESSES: The July 24, 2012 public hearing will be held at the U.S. 
Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Media 
Center--Room W11-130, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 
20590.\1\

[[Page 39207]]

The hearing site is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
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    \1\ For electronic mapping and navigation, use the local area 
zip code of 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you would like to present oral 
testimony at the public hearing, please contact Christopher Morris, 
Office of Rulemaking, by email at [email protected], telephone 
at (202) 493-2218, or fax at (202) 366-5930. Please contact Mr. Morris 
at least ten days before the hearing date of July 24, 2012. Please 
provide the following information: Name, affiliation, address, email 
address and telephone number; indicate whether you are a U.S. citizen; 
and indicate if you require accommodations such as a sign language 
interpreter or translator. For technical issues regarding the agency's 
NPRM, you may contact Jeffrey Woods, Office of Crash Avoidance 
Standards, by telephone at (202) 366-6206, or fax at (202) 366-7002. 
For legal issues, you may contact David Jasinski, Office of the Chief 
Counsel, by telephone at (202) 366-2992, or fax at (202) 366-3820. You 
may send mail to both of these officials at the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 
DC 20590. You may learn more about the NPRM by searching the public 
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docket (NHTSA-2012-0065) at www.regulations.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 23, 2012, the agency published a 
notice of proposed rulemaking to establish a new standard, Federal 
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 136, Electronic Stability Control 
Systems for Heavy Vehicles (77 FR 30766). The standard would require 
truck tractors, and certain large buses with a gross vehicle weight 
rating of greater than 11,793 kilograms (26,000 pounds), to be equipped 
with an electronic stability control (ESC) system that meets the 
equipment and performance requirements of the proposed standard. Heavy 
vehicle ESC systems use engine torque control and computer-controlled 
braking of individual wheels to assist the driver in maintaining 
control of the vehicle in situations in which the vehicle is becoming 
roll unstable (such as excessive speed in a curve) or is experiencing a 
loss of control (the vehicle deviates from the driver's intended path 
due to oversteer or understeer).
    The five major topics that are discussed in the NPRM include:
     The size of the safety problem related to truck tractor 
and large bus ESC systems
     How electronic stability control systems work to prevent 
rollover and loss of control
     The research and testing that were separately conducted by 
NHTSA and the industry to evaluate the potential safety benefits of ESC 
and to develop dynamic vehicle test maneuvers to evaluate ESC 
performance
     The specifics of the agency's proposal, including ESC 
equipment and performance criteria, vehicle compliance testing 
requirements, and the implementation schedule
     The benefits and costs of the proposal, as described in 
the NPRM and in the agency's Preliminary Regulatory Impact Analysis 
that is included in the docket.
    Public Hearing Procedures. The public hearing provides a forum for 
the public to present oral testimony regarding the agency's proposal 
for heavy vehicle ESC. For planning purposes, each speaker should 
anticipate speaking for approximately ten minutes, although we may need 
to shorten that time if there is a large number of people wishing to 
make presentations. Once we learn how many people have registered to 
speak at the hearing, we will allocate an appropriate amount of time to 
each participant, allowing time for necessary breaks. In addition, we 
will reserve a block of time for anyone else in the audience who wishes 
to give an oral presentation.
    We request that you bring three copies of your statement or other 
material to the hearing for the NHTSA panel. To accommodate as many 
speakers as possible, we prefer that speakers who are using audio-
visual aids or computer slideshows either provide those materials in 
advance of the meeting or make other arrangements to facilitate set-up, 
by notifying the contact person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section above.
    NHTSA will conduct the hearing informally. Thus, technical rules of 
evidence will not apply. We will arrange for a written transcript of 
the hearing, and you may make arrangements to receive a copy of the 
transcript directly from the court reporter at the hearing. Presenters 
wishing to provide supplementary information should submit it to the 
address given above for written comments by the August 21, 2012 
deadline for those comments. There will be a panel of agency officials 
who may ask clarifying questions during the oral presentations, but the 
panel will not respond to the presentations at that time. Written 
statements and supporting information submitted during the comment 
period will be considered with the same weight as oral comments and 
supporting information presented at the public hearing.
    For security purposes, government-issued photo identification is 
required to enter the Department of Transportation building. Non-U.S. 
citizens will be required to show passports. To allow sufficient time 
to clear security and enter the building, NHTSA recommends that hearing 
participants arrive 30 to 60 minutes prior to the start of the event.
    Written Comments: As announced in the NPRM, to be assured of 
consideration your written comments on the proposal must be received by 
August 21, 2012. You may submit comments on the agency's proposal to 
Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0065, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Docket Operations M-30, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Docket Operations M-30, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Note that all comments will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov. Please ensure that your comments include the 
docket number in the subject line or heading.

    Issued: June 26, 2012.
Christopher J. Bonanti,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2012-16174 Filed 6-29-12; 8:45 am]
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