[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 136 (Friday, July 18, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34076-34080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-13571]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2024-0026]
Grant of Petitions for Renewal of Temporary Exemptions From
Shoulder Belt Requirement for Side-Facing Seats on Motorcoaches
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of grant of petitions for renewal of temporary
exemptions.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with our regulations, NHTSA is granting 13
petitions for renewal of temporary exemptions from the requirement to
install Type 2 seat belts (i.e., shoulder belts) at side-facing seats
on motorcoaches. The 13 petitioners are final-stage manufacturers of
entertainer-type motorcoaches, seeking temporary exemptions from the
shoulder belt requirement of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) No. 208, ``Occupant crash protection,'' for side-facing seats.
The granted exemptions permit the petitioners to continue to install
Type 1 seat belts (lap belt only) at side-facing seating positions,
instead of Type 2 seat belts (lap and shoulder belts) required by FMVSS
No. 208. After reviewing the petitions and the comments received, the
agency has determined that the requested exemption renewals are
warranted to enable each petitioner to sell vehicles whose overall
level of safety or impact protection is at least equal to that of a
nonexempted vehicle.
DATES: The exemption applies to the petitioners' motorcoaches produced
from June 1, 2024 until June 1, 2026.
[[Page 34077]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Callie Roach, Office of the Chief
Counsel, NCC-200, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Email: [email protected]
Fax: 202-366-3820.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Authority and Procedures for Temporary Exemption
III. FMVSS No. 208
IV. Petitions From the 13 Manufacturers
V. Receipt Notice Seeking Comments
VI. Agency Analysis and Decision
I. Background
This notice grants 13 petitions submitted by All Access Coach
Leasing LLC, Amadas Coach, Creative Mobile Interiors, D&S Classic Coach
Inc., Farber Specialty Vehicles, Florida Coach, Inc., Geomarc, Inc.,
Integrity Interiors LLC, Encore Luxury Coach Leasing, Inc.,\1\ Pioneer
Coach Interiors LLC, Roberts Brothers Coach Company, Russell Coachworks
LLC, and Ultra Coach Inc., requesting temporary exemptions from the
shoulder belt requirement of FMVSS No. 208, ``Occupant crash
protection,'' for side-facing seats on motorcoaches.
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\1\ Encore Luxury Coach Leasing, Inc. was formerly known as
Nitetrain Coach Company, Inc. Both the original petition and renewal
petition were submitted under the name ``Nitetrain Coach Company,
Inc.'' Since submitting its petition, the company has changed its
name and notified NHTSA. Accordingly, NHTSA's response to Nitetrain
Coach Company Inc.'s petition is now directed to Encore Luxury Coach
Leasing, Inc.
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As background, NHTSA is responsible for promulgating and enforcing
FMVSSs designed to improve motor vehicle safety. Generally, a
manufacturer may not manufacture for sale, sell, offer for sale, or
introduce or deliver for introduction into interstate commerce a
vehicle that does not comply with all applicable FMVSS.\2\ There are
limited exceptions to this general prohibition.\3\ One path permits
manufacturers to petition NHTSA for an exemption for noncompliant
vehicles under a specified set of statutory bases.\4\ The details of
these bases, and under which basis the 13 petitions are granted, are
provided in the sections of this notice that follow.
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\2\ 49 U.S.C. 30112(a)(1).
\3\ 49 U.S.C. 30112(b); 49 U.S.C. 30113; 49 U.S.C. 30114.
\4\ 49 U.S.C. 30113.
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II. Authority and Procedures for Temporary Exemption
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Safety Act),
codified at 49 U.S.C. chapter 301, authorizes the Secretary of
Transportation to exempt motor vehicles, on a temporary basis and under
specified circumstances, and on terms the Secretary considers
appropriate, from a FMVSS or bumper standard. This authority and
circumstances are set forth at 49 U.S.C. 30113. The Secretary has
delegated the authority for implementing this section to NHTSA.\5\
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\5\ 49 CFR 1.95.
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The Safety Act authorizes the Secretary to grant, in whole or in
part, a temporary exemption to a vehicle manufacturer if the Secretary
makes one of four specified findings.\6\ The Secretary must also look
comprehensively at the request for exemption and find that the
exemption is consistent with the public interest and with the
objectives of the Safety Act.\7\
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\6\ 49 U.S.C. 30113(b)(3).
\7\ 49 U.S.C. 30113(b)(3)(A).
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The Secretary must evaluate the petition for exemption under at
least one of the following bases:
(ii) Compliance would cause substantial economic hardship, and the
manufacturer tried to comply in good faith;
(ii) the exemption would make easier the development or field
evaluation of a new motor vehicle safety feature, and the safety level
is equal to the safety level of the standard;
(iii) the exemption would make the development or field evaluation
of a low-emission motor vehicle easier, and the safety level of the
vehicle is not unreasonably lowered; or
(iv) compliance would prevent the manufacturer from selling a motor
vehicle with an overall safety level at least equal to the overall
safety level of nonexempt vehicles.\8\
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\8\ 49 U.S.C. 30113(b)(3)(B).
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NHTSA established 49 CFR part 555, Temporary Exemption from Motor
Vehicle Safety and Bumper Standards, to implement the statutory
provisions concerning temporary exemptions, including renewals of
temporary exemptions. Under Part 555 subpart A, a vehicle manufacturer
seeking an exemption or renewal of an exemption must submit a petition
for exemption containing specified information. The requirements in 49
CFR 555.5 state that the petitioner must set forth the basis of the
petition by providing the information required under 49 CFR 555.6, and
the reasons why the exemption would be in the public interest and
consistent with the objectives of the Safety Act. A petition submitted
on the basis that the applicant is otherwise unable to sell a vehicle
whose overall level of safety or impact protection is at least equal to
that of a nonexempt vehicle must include the information specified in
49 CFR 555.6(d). A manufacturer is eligible for an exemption under this
basis only if NHTSA determines the exemption is for not more than 2,500
vehicles to be sold in the U.S. in any 12-month period. An exemption
under this basis may be granted for not more than two years, but may be
renewed upon reapplication.\9\
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\9\ 555.8(b) and 555.8(e).
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Under 49 CFR 555.8(e), ``[i]f an application for renewal of
temporary exemption that meets the requirements of Sec. 555.5 has been
filed not later than 60 days before the termination date of an
exemption, the exemption does not terminate until the Administrator
grants or denies the application for renewal.'' NHTSA notes that the 13
petitions for renewal were submitted by the deadline stated in 49 CFR
555.8(e).
III. FMVSS No. 208
On November 25, 2013, NHTSA published a final rule amending FMVSS
No. 208 to require seat belts for each passenger seating position in
all new over-the-road buses (OTRBs) (regardless of gross vehicle weight
rating (GVWR)), and all other buses with GVWRs greater than 11,793
kilograms (kg) (26,000 pounds (lb)) (with certain exclusions).\10\
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\10\ 78 FR 70415 (November 25, 2013); response to petitions for
reconsideration, 81 FR 19902 (April 6, 2016). The final rule became
effective November 28, 2016 for buses manufactured in a single
stage, and a year later for buses manufactured in more than one
stage.
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In the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) preceding the final
rule, NHTSA proposed to permit manufacturers the option of installing
either a Type 1 (lap belt) or a Type 2 (lap and shoulder belt) on side-
facing seats.\11\ The proposed option was consistent with a provision
in FMVSS No. 208 that allows lap belts for side-facing seats on buses
with a GVWR of 4,536 kg (10,000 lb) or less. NHTSA proposed the option
because the agency was unaware of any demonstrable increase in
associated risk of lap belts compared to lap and shoulder belts on
side-facing seats. In the NPRM, NHTSA noted that ``a study commissioned
by the European Commission regarding side-facing seats on minibuses and
motorcoaches found that due to different seat belt designs, crash modes
and a lack of real-world data, it cannot be determined whether a lap
belt or a lap/shoulder belt would be the most effective.'' \12\
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\11\ 75 FR at 50971 (August 18, 2010).
\12\ http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/automotive/projects/safety_consid_long_stg.pdf, citied in the NPRM at 75 FR at 50971-
50972.
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However, after the NPRM was published, the Motorcoach Enhanced
[[Page 34078]]
Safety Act of 2012 was enacted as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress
in the 21st Century Act ((MAP-21), Public Law 112-141 (July 6, 2012)).
Section 32703(a) of MAP-21 directed the Secretary of Transportation
(authority delegated to NHTSA) to ``prescribe regulations requiring
safety belts to be installed in motorcoaches at each designated seating
position.'' \13\ As MAP-21 defined ``safety belt'' to mean an
integrated lap and shoulder belt, the final rule amended FMVSS No. 208
to require lap and shoulder belts at all designated seating positions,
including side-facing seats, on OTRBs.\14\
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\13\ MAP-21 states at Sec. 32702(6) that ``the term
`motorcoach' has the meaning given the term `over-the-road bus' in
section 3038(a)(3) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (49 U.S.C. 5310 note), but does not include a bus used in
public transportation provided by, or on behalf of, a public
transportation agency; or a school bus, including a multifunction
school activity bus.'' Section 3038(a)(3) (49 U.S.C. 5310 note)
states: ``The term `over-the-road bus' means a bus characterized by
an elevated passenger deck located over a baggage compartment.''
\14\ For side-facing seats on buses other than OTRBs, in the
final rule NHTSA permitted either lap or lap/shoulder belts at the
manufacturer's option.
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Even as it did so, however, the agency reiterated its view that
``the addition of a shoulder belt at [side-facing seats on light
vehicles] is of limited value, given the paucity of data related to
side facing seats.'' \15\ The agency also noted that Australian Design
Rule ADR 5/04, ``Anchorages for Seatbelts'' specifically prohibits
shoulder belts for side-facing seats.\16\ Given that background, and
believing that few OTRBs would have side-facing seats, NHTSA stated in
the November 2013 final rule that manufacturers may petition NHTSA for
a temporary exemption under 49 CFR part 555 to install lap belts
instead of lap and shoulder belts at side-facing seats.\17\ NHTSA
stated that the basis for any petition for exemption from this
requirement would be that the applicant is unable to sell a bus whose
overall level of safety is at least equal to that of a non-exempted
vehicle and that NHTSA would be receptive to the argument that lap
belts provide an equivalent level of safety to lap/shoulder belt
combinations for side-facing seats.\18\
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\15\ 78 FR at 70448, quoting from the agency's Anton's Law final
rule which required lap/shoulder belts in forward-facing rear
seating positions of light vehicles, 59 FR 70907.
\16\ 78 FR 70416, 70448
\17\ Id.
\18\ Id.
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Since issuing the November 2013 final rule, NHTSA has granted
temporary exemptions to sixteen final stage manufacturers of
entertainer buses for the same shoulder belt requirement of FMVSS No.
208 for side-facing seats on entertainer buses.\19\
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\19\ The 16 final stage manufacturers of entertainer buses to
which NHTSA has granted temporary exemptions for the same shoulder
belt requirement of FMVSS No. 208 for side-facing seats on
entertainer buses include the 13 manufacturers discussed in this
notice. The first petition was submitted by Hemphill Brothers
Leasing Company, LLC (Hemphill). (Notice of receipt of petition, 84
FR 11735 (Mar. 28, 2019); notice of grant of petition, 84 FR 69966
(Nov. 14, 2019)). In its original petition, Hemphill stated that 39
``other petitioners'' were covered by it. Later, NHTSA granted the
13 petitions submitted by All Access Coach Leasing LLC, Amadas
Coach, Creative Mobile Interiors, D&S Classic Coach Inc., Farber
Specialty Vehicles, Florida Coach, Inc., Geomarc, Inc., Integrity
Interiors LLC, Nitetrain Coach Company, Inc. (now known as Encore
Luxury Coach Leasing, Inc.,), Pioneer Coach Interiors LLC, Roberts
Brothers Coach Company, Russell Coachworks LLC, and Ultra Coach Inc.
(Notice of receipt of the petitions, 85 FR 51550 (Aug. 20, 2022);
notice of grant of petitions, 87 FR 33299 (June 1, 2022)). Most
recently, NHTSA granted an exemption to Beat the Street Interiors,
Inc. (BTS) (Notice of receipt of petition, 88 FR 25445 (Apr. 26,
2024); notice of grant of petition, 88 FR 78093 (Nov. 14, 2023)) and
Legacy Limousines and Luxury Coaches (Notice of receipt, 89 FR 87722
(Nov. 4, 2024), notice of grant of petition, 90 FR 7234 (Jan. 1,
2025)).
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In a recent decision notice granting one of these exemptions,
NHTSA's rationale for granting the exemption cited the uncertainties
about shoulder belts on side-facing seats, the relatively small number
of side-facing seats on buses subject to the November 2013 final rule,
and that FMVSS No. 208 does not require shoulder belts on side-facing
seats on any other vehicle type.\20\ NHTSA stated that it believes the
potential safety risk at issue is theoretical, as explained in the
November 2013 final rule, and the agency cannot affirmatively conclude,
based on available information, that shoulder belts on side-facing
seats are associated with a demonstrated risk of serious neck injuries
in front crashes. NHTSA also stated that it believes a shoulder belt is
of limited value on side-facing seats for the reasons explained in the
final rule and further explained that it believed granting the
exemption was consistent with the public interest and the Safety Act.
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\20\ 88 FR 25445.
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IV. Receipt of Petitions
In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 30113 and the procedures in 49 CFR
part 555, 13 final-stage manufacturers of entertainer motorcoaches
submitted individual, mostly identical petitions asking NHTSA for
renewals of their temporary exemptions from the shoulder belt
requirement of FMVSS No. 208 for side-facing seats on their vehicles.
The petitioners sought renewal of their exemptions to allow them to
continue installing Type 1 seat belts (lap belt only) at side-facing
seating positions, instead of Type 2 seat belts (lap and shoulder
belts) as required by FMVSS No. 208. NHTSA granted the 13 exemptions in
a Federal Register notice published on June 1, 2022 (87 FR 33299) and
the exemptions expired on June 1, 2024. The basis for each of the
renewal petitions, like their original petitions, is that compliance
would prevent the petitioner from selling a motor vehicle with an
overall safety level at least equal to the overall safety level of
nonexempted vehicles (49 CFR 555.6(d)).
The petitioners are listed alphabetically as follows: All Access
Coach Leasing LLC; Amadas Coach; Creative Mobile Interiors; D&S Classic
Coach Inc.; Encore Luxury Coach Leasing, Inc. (formerly known as
Nitetrain Coach Company, Inc); Farber Specialty Vehicles; Florida
Coach, Inc.; Geomarc, Inc.; Integrity Interiors LLC; Pioneer Coach
Interiors LLC; Roberts Brothers Coach Company; Russell Coachworks LLC;
and Ultra Coach Inc.
Each petitioner states that it is a final-stage manufacturer of
entertainer-type motorcoaches and is responsible for ensuring the
completed vehicle meets the FMVSS. Each petitioner also states that it
typically receives a bus shell \21\ and customizes it to meet the needs
of its entertainer clients and other specialized customers. Each
petitioner states that it ``builds out the complete interior'' of the
bus shell, including: roof escape hatch; fire suppression systems
(interior living space, rear tires, electrical panels, bay storage
compartments, and generator); ceiling, side walls and flooring;
seating; electrical system, generator, invertor and house batteries;
interior lighting; interior entertainment equipment; heating,
ventilation and cooling system; galley with potable water, cooking
equipment, refrigerators, and storage cabinets; bathroom and showers;
and sleeping positions.
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\21\ Each petition describes the bus shell as generally
containing the following components: exterior frame; driver's seat;
dash cluster, speedometer, emissions light and emissions diagnosis
connector; exterior lighting, headlights, marker lights, turn
signals lights, and brake lights; exterior glass, windshield and
side lights with emergency exits; windshield wiper system; braking
system; tires, tire pressure monitoring system and suspension; and
engine and transmission.
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Pursuant to 49 CFR 555.6(d), an application must provide ``[a]
detailed analysis of how the vehicle provides the overall level of
safety or impact protection at least equal to that of nonexempted
vehicles.''
Each petitioner reiterates, as part of their justification that the
vehicles provide an overall level of safety equivalent to that of a
nonexempted
[[Page 34079]]
vehicle, statements made in NHTSA's 2013 final rule as well as excerpts
from the agency's discussion in the June 2022 Federal Register notice
granting temporary exemptions to the 13 petitioners. Specifically, each
petitioner cites NHTSA's statement that it ``believes a shoulder belt
is of limited value on side-facing seats for the reasons explained in
the [November 2013] final rule''. Each petitioner also cites NHTSA's
conclusion that ``[g]iven the uncertainties about shoulder belts on
side-facing seats, the few side-facing seats there are on buses subject
to the November 2013 final rule, and that FMVSS No. 208 does not
require shoulder belts on side-facing seats on any other vehicle type,
NHTSA is granting the petitions for temporary exemption.'' Each
petitioner states that the considerations and conclusions from the 2022
grant are still pertinent. Additional details are provided in the
petitions, which may be located in the docket identified at the top of
this document.
Pursuant to 49 CFR 555.5(b)(7), petitioners must state why granting
an exemption allowing it to install Type 1 instead of Type 2 seat belts
in side-facing seats would be in the public interest and consistent
with the objectives of the Safety Act. Each petitioner states that
granting an exemption would allow the petitioner the option to continue
providing seat belts at side-facing seating positions that are
equivalent to or exceed the safety performance of Type 2 belts under
the requirements in FMVSS No. 208 (S4.4.5.1.2(c)). Each petitioner also
cites NHTSA's statements from the 2022 grant notice in which NHTSA
stated that it believes that granting the petitioners' exemption
requests is consistent with the public interest and that granting the
exemptions would provide relief to small businesses by providing ``an
objective standard that is easy for manufacturers to understand and
meet.''
In support of the petitions, each petitioner also states that only
a small number of entertainer-type motorcoaches with side-facing seats
are manufactured in the U.S. market each year and that number of
vehicles they would produce within any 12-month period would be well
below the 2,500 limit in part 555.
Each petitioner also indicates that it expects to seek to renew
this exemption, if granted, at the end of the exemption period. In
support of this intention, each petitioner notes the agency's apparent
lack of research, testing, or analysis to justify the use of Type 2
belts on side-facing seats in over-the-road-buses.
V. Notice of Receipt and Comments Received
On July 2, 2024, NHTSA published a notice announcing receipt of the
13 petitions and requesting public comment.\22\ NHTSA received six
comments, one from the American Bus Association and five from
petitioners: Florida Coach, Inc.; Pioneer Coach Interiors LLC; Roberts
Brothers Coach; Senators Coaches, Inc. (whose affiliate Geomarc, Inc.
is one of the petitioners); and Encore Luxury Coach Leasing, Inc. (the
petitioner formerly known as Nitetrain Coach Company, Inc.). Each of
the six comments supported granting the petitions.
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\22\ 89 FR 54958.
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VII. Agency Analysis and Decision
After reviewing the petitions and the comments received, NHTSA is
granting the 13 renewal petitions. Granting the petitions will enable
each of the petitioners to sell a vehicle whose overall level of safety
or impact protection is at least equal to that of a nonexempted
vehicle.
In the rulemaking implementing MAP-21's mandate for seat belts on
motorcoaches, NHTSA's proposal in the NPRM was to allow manufacturers
an option of installing Type 1 (lap belt) or Type 2 (lap and shoulder
belt) on side-facing seats. The proposal was consistent with a
provision in FMVSS No. 208 that allows lap belts for side-facing seats
on buses with a GVWR of 4,536 kg (10,000 lb) or less. NHTSA proposed
the option because the agency was unaware of any demonstrable increase
in associated risk of lap belts compared to lap and shoulder belts on
side-facing seats.\23\ As noted in the summary above, NHTSA finalized
the requirement for Type 2 seat belts in side-facing positions because
of a congressional mandate to do so. In that final rule, NHTSA
finalized the requirement for Type 2 seat belts in side-facing
positions, while also noting that the agency would be receptive to a
petition for a temporary exemption that argues that lap belts provide
an equivalent level of safety to lap/shoulder belt combinations for
side-facing seats.
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\23\ 75 FR 50958 at pages 50971-72 (August 18, 2010).
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The petitioners do not provide information supporting their beliefs
about the potential that Type 2 seat belts in side-facing seats can
cause injuries beyond reciting what NHTSA said on the matter in the
2013 final rule. Accordingly, NHTSA believes that the potential safety
risk at issue is theoretical at this point; as explained in the
November 2013 final rule,\24\ the agency cannot affirmatively conclude,
based on available information, that shoulder belts on side-facing
seats are associated with a demonstrated risk of serious neck injuries
in frontal crashes. However, at the same time, NHTSA believes a
shoulder belt is of limited value on side-facing seats for the reasons
explained in the final rule. Given the uncertainties about shoulder
belts on side-facing seats, the few side-facing seats there are on
buses subject to the November 2013 final rule, and that FMVSS No. 208
does not require shoulder belts on side-facing seats on any other
vehicle type, NHTSA is granting the petitions to renew the temporary
exemptions.
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\24\ 78 FR 7041 at pages 70447-48
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The grants will permit the petitioners to continue to install Type
1 seat belts (lap belt only) at side-facing seating positions, instead
of Type 2 seat belts (lap and shoulder belts) at those positions, on
the entertainer-type motorcoaches it manufactures. The exemptions do
not apply to forward-facing designated seating positions on the
petitioners' vehicles. Under FMVSS No. 208, the forward-facing seating
positions must have Type 2 seat belts.
NHTSA believes that granting the petitioners' exemption renewal
requests is consistent with the public interest. The exemption will
enable the applicants to sell buses whose overall level of safety is at
least equal to that of non-exempted vehicles. Much of the petitioners'
analysis for why granting its petition is in the public interest relies
on NHTSA's own analysis in the rulemaking mandating Type 2 seat belts
in side-facing seats. Chief among that analysis is the fact that NHTSA
stated that it did not have enough data available at the time to
demonstrate that the Type 2 seat belt for side-facing seats was more
than of limited value. This may change with future research, but since
it has not yet, NHTSA agrees that granting this petition is in the
public interest.
Granting these petitions is also consistent with the Safety Act.
The requested exemptions will not impact general motor vehicle safety
because the exempted buses will provide overall safety at least equal
to that of nonexempted buses. Further, the petitioners produce a small
number of affected vehicles annually. The petitioners did not specify
exactly how many buses they would manufacture under the exemption, but
several commenters, including the American Bus Association (ABA), have
noted that fewer than 100 entertainer-type
[[Page 34080]]
motorcoaches with side-facing seats are manufactured annually. Thus,
NHTSA concludes that the petitioners will annually manufacture very few
vehicles relative to the 2,500 per manufacturer limit set forth in the
Safety Act. Further, as explained below, in accordance with 49 CFR
555.9 and Sec. 30113(h) of the Safety Act, prospective purchasers will
also be notified of the exemption prior to making their purchasing
decisions. The vehicles must have a label notifying prospective
purchasers that the vehicles are exempted from the shoulder belt
requirement of FMVSS No. 208 for side-facing seats. NHTSA believes that
this combination of factors reinforce that this grant notice is
consistent with the Safety Act.
VIII. Labeling
Under 49 CFR 555.9(b), a manufacturer of an exempted vehicle must
securely affix to the windshield or side window of each exempted
vehicle a label containing a statement that the vehicle meets all
applicable FMVSSs in effect on the date of manufacture ``except for
Standard Nos. [Listing the standards by number and title for which an
exemption has been granted] exempted pursuant to NHTSA Exemption No.
__.'' This label notifies prospective purchasers about the exemption
and its subject. Under Sec. 555.9(c)(2), this information must also be
included on the vehicle's certification label.\25\
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\25\ 49 CFR 555.9(c)(2) refers to Sec. 567.5(c)(7)(iii) as the
regulation setting forth the certification statement final-stage
manufacturers are to use in their certification labels. That
reference to Sec. 567.5(c)(7)(iii) is outdated; it should be to
Sec. 567.5(d)(2)(v)(A). The certification label requirements for
final-stage manufacturers formerly were in Sec. 567(c)(7)(iii) but
the requirements were moved to Sec. 567.5(d)(2)(v)(A) (see 70 FR
7433 (Feb. 14, 2005)).
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The text of Sec. 555.9 does not expressly indicate how the
required statement on the two labels should read in situations in which
an exemption covers part, but not all, of an FMVSS. In this case, NHTSA
believes that a blanket statement that the vehicle has been exempted
from Standard No. 208, without an indication that the exemption is
limited to the shoulder belt on side-facing seats, could be confusing.
A purchaser might incorrectly believe that the vehicle has been
exempted from all FMVSS No. 208 requirements. For this reason, NHTSA
believes the two labels should read in relevant part, ``except for the
shoulder belt requirement for side-facing seats (Standard No. 208,
Occupant Crash Protection), exempted pursuant to NHTSA Exemption
No.Sec. __.''
IX. Grant of Petitions
In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 30113(b)(3)(B)(iv), the applicants are
granted two-year renewals of their NHTSA Temporary Exemptions, as
follows: EX 21-01 (All Access Coach Leasing LLC), 21-02 (Amadas Coach),
21-03 (Creative Mobile Interiors), 21-04 (D&S Classic Coach Inc.), 21-
05 (Farber Specialty Vehicles), 21-06 (Florida Coach, Inc.), 21-07
(Geomarc, Inc.), 21-08 (Integrity Interiors LLC), 21-09 (Encore Luxury
Coach Leasing, Inc., formerly known as Nitetrain Coach Company, Inc.),
21-10 (Pioneer Coach Interiors LLC), 21-11 (Roberts Brothers Coach
Company), 21-12 (Russell Coachworks LLC), and 21-13 (Ultra Coach Inc.),
from the shoulder belt requirement of 49 CFR 571.208 for side-facing
seats on its motorcoaches. The exemptions shall remain effective until
June 1, 2026.
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30113; delegation of authority at 49 CFR
1.95 and 501.5.
Peter Simshauser,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2025-13571 Filed 7-17-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P