[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 40 (Wednesday, February 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8732-8734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03987]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket Number NHTSA-2018-0019]


Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements

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

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from 
the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit 
public comment on proposed collections of information, including 
extensions and reinstatement of previously approved collections.
    This document describes one collection of information for which 
NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

DATES: Send comments on or before April 30, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, identified by [Docket No. NHTSA-2018-
0019] 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, West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Telephone: 1-800-647-
5527.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number for this proposed collection of information. Note that 
all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. 
Please see the Privacy Act heading below.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit http://DocketInfo.dot.gov.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the 
online instructions for accessing the dockets. Alternately, you may 
visit in person the Docket Management Facility at the street address 
listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Coleman Sachs, Office of Vehicle 
Safety Compliance (NEF-230), National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, West Building--4th Floor--Room W45-205, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Sachs' telephone number is (202) 
366-3151. Please identify the relevant collection of information by 
referring to its OMB Control Number.

[[Page 8733]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB 
for approval, it must first publish a document in the Federal Register 
providing a 60-day comment period and otherwise consult with members of 
the public and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of 
information. The OMB has promulgated regulations describing what must 
be included in such a document. Under OMB's regulation (at 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following:
    (i) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) How to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected;
    (iv) How to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks for public 
comments on the following proposed collection of information:
    Title: Consolidated Labeling Requirements for 49 CFR parts 565 
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Requirements, and 567 
Certification.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    OMB Control Number: 2127-0510.
    Affected Public: Motor vehicle manufacturers.
    Form Number: None.
    Abstract:

Part 565

    The regulations in part 565 specify the format, contents, and 
physical requirements for a vehicle identification number (VIN) system 
and its installation to simplify vehicle identification information 
retrieval and to increase the accuracy and efficiency of vehicle recall 
campaigns. The regulations require each vehicle manufactured in one 
stage to have a VIN that is assigned by the vehicle's manufacturer. 
Each vehicle manufactured in more than one stage is to have a VIN 
assigned by the incomplete vehicle manufacturer. Each VIN must consist 
of 17 characters, including a check digit, in the ninth position, whose 
purpose is to verify the accuracy of any VIN transcription. The VIN 
must also incorporate the world manufacturer identifier or WMI assigned 
to the manufacturer by the competent authority in the country where the 
manufacturer is located. The WMI occupies the first three characters of 
the VIN for manufacturers that produce 1,000 or more vehicles of a 
specified type within a model year, and positions 1, 2, 3, 12, 13, and 
14 of VINs assigned by manufacturers that produce less than 1,000 
vehicles of a specified type per model year. The remaining characters 
of the VIN describe various vehicle attributes, such as make, model, 
and type, which vary depending on the vehicle's type classification 
(i.e. passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, bus, 
trailer, motorcycle, low-speed vehicle), and identify the vehicle's 
model year, plant code, and sequential production number. NHTSA has 
contracted with SAE International of Warrendale, Pennsylvania, to 
coordinate the assignment of WMIs to manufacturers in the United 
States. Each manufacturer of vehicles subject to the requirements of 
part 565 must submit, either directly or through an agent, the unique 
identifier for each make and type of vehicle it manufactures at least 
60 days before affixing the first VIN using the identifier. 
Manufacturers are also required to submit to NHTSA information 
necessary to decipher the characters contained in their VINs, including 
amendments to that information, at least 60 days prior to offering for 
sale the first vehicle identified by a VIN containing that information 
or if information concerning vehicle characteristics sufficient to 
specify the VIN code is unavailable to the manufacturer by that date, 
then within one week after that information first becomes available. 
With changes implemented in 2015, manufacturers have been able to make 
these submissions using an online portal on the agency's website at 
https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/. In 2014, NHTSA received VIN-deciphering 
information under part 565 from approximately 650 manufacturers. In 
2015, NHTSA received this information from approximately 770 
manufacturers. In 2016, NHTSA received this information from 
approximately 780 manufacturers. Based on these figures, the agency 
would expect to receive approximately 733 part 565 submissions from 
manufacturers in each of the next three years (650 + 770 + 780 = 2200; 
2200 / 3 = 733). Assuming that it would take one hour to produce a VIN 
deciphering submission, at an average cost of $30.00 per hour for the 
administrative and professional staff preparing and reviewing the 
submission, NHTSA estimates that it will cost vehicle manufacturers 
$21,990 to comply with the part 565 requirements (733 submissions x $30 
= $21,990).

Part 567

    The regulations in part 567 specify the content and location of, 
and other requirements for, the certification label to be affixed to a 
motor vehicle, as required by the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle 
Safety Act, as amended (the Vehicle Safety Act)(49 U.S.C. 30115) and 
the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended (the 
Cost Savings Act)(49 U.S.C. 30254 and 33109), to address certification-
related duties and liabilities, and to provide the consumer with 
information to assist him or her in determining which of the Federal 
motor vehicle safety standards (as found in 49 CFR part 571), bumper 
standards (as found in 49 CFR part 581, and Federal theft prevention 
standards (as found in 49 CFR part 541) are applicable to the vehicle. 
The regulations pertain to manufacturers of motor vehicles to which one 
or more standards are applicable, including persons who alter such 
vehicles prior to their first retail sale, and to Registered Importers 
of vehicles not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable 
Federal motor vehicle safety standards that are determined eligible for 
importation by NHTSA, based on the vehicles' capability of being 
modified to conform to those standards. The regulations require each 
manufacturer to affix to each vehicle, in a prescribed location, a 
label that, among other things, identifies the vehicle's manufacturer 
(defined as the person who actually assembles the vehicle), the 
vehicle's date of manufacture, and the statement that the vehicle 
complies with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards 
and, where applicable, bumper and theft prevention standards in effect 
on the date of manufacture. The label must also include the vehicle's 
gross vehicle and gross axle weight ratings (GVWR and GAWRs), vehicle 
identification number, and vehicle type classification (i.e., passenger 
car, multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, bus, trailer, motorcycle, 
low-speed vehicle). The regulations specify other labelling 
requirements for incomplete vehicle, intermediate, and final-stage 
manufacturers of vehicles built in two or more stages, such as 
commercial trucks that are built by adding work performing components,

[[Page 8734]]

such as a cargo box or cement mixer, to a previously manufactured 
chassis or chassis-cab, and to persons who alter previously certified 
vehicles, other than by the addition, substitution, or removal of 
readily attachable components such as mirrors or tire and rim 
assemblies, or minor finishing operations such as painting, before the 
first purchase of the vehicle for purposes other than resale.
    Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number 
and Proposed Frequency of Responses to the Collection of Information): 
The agency estimates that it will receive new submissions of VIN-
deciphering information under part 565 from approximately 733 
manufacturers of motor vehicles per year. The manufacturers need only 
submit the required information on a one-time basis, with the proviso 
that they notify the agency of any changes in the information on file 
within 30 days from the date that any change in that information 
occurs. In addition, the agency estimates that approximately 7,600 
manufacturers of motor vehicles of all types, including manufacturers 
of passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, 
trailers, motorcycles and low-speed vehicles, as well as incomplete 
vehicle manufacturers, intermediate and final-stage manufacturers of 
vehicles built in two or more stages, and vehicle alterers, will need 
to comply with the certification labeling requirements of part 567.
    Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden of 
the Collection of Information: 733 hours for supplying required VIN-
deciphering information to NHTSA under part 565; 88,000 hours for 
meeting the labeling requirements of part 567.
    Estimate of the Total Annual Costs of the Collection of 
Information: Assuming that the part 565 information is submitted to the 
agency's website by company officers or employees compensated at an 
average rate of $30.00 per hour, the agency estimates that $21,990 will 
be expended on an annual basis by all manufacturers required to submit 
that information (733 hours x $30.00 = $21,990). Additionally, assuming 
that it will take an average of .005 hours to affix a certification 
label to each of the approximately 17,600,000 vehicles produced each 
year for sale in the United States, at an average cost of $20.00 per 
hour, the agency estimates that roughly $1,760,000 will be expended by 
all manufacturers to comply with the labeling requirements of part 567 
(17,600,000 vehicles x .005 hours = 88,000 hours; 88,000 hours x $20.00 
= $1,760,000).
    Comments are invited on: Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

Jeffrey M. Giuseppe,
Associate Administrator for Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2018-03987 Filed 2-27-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P