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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/148** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 12 October 2005   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (05-4646)         |
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|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade**     | Original: English |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

NOTIFICATION

The following notification is being circulated in accordance with
Article 10.6.

+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Member to Agreement     |   |                                 |
| 1. | notifying:** [UNITED      |   |                                 |
| ** | STATES]{.underline}       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **If applicable, name of  |   |                                 |
|    | local government involved |   |                                 |
|    | (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):** |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Agency responsible:**   |   |                                 |
| 2. | Federal Motor Carrier     |   |                                 |
| ** | Safety Administration     |   |                                 |
|    | (FMCSA), DOT (153)        |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Name and address        |   |                                 |
|    | (including telephone and  |   |                                 |
|    | fax numbers, e-mail and   |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available) of** **agency  |   |                                 |
|    | or authority designated   |   |                                 |
|    | to handle comments        |   |                                 |
|    | regarding the             |   |                                 |
|    | notification shall be     |   |                                 |
|    | indicated if different    |   |                                 |
|    | from above:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Notified under Article  |   |                                 |
| 3. | 2.9.2 \[** X **\], 2.10.1 |   |                                 |
| ** | \[ **  **\], 5.6.2        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], 5.7.1        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], other:**     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Products covered (HS or |   |                                 |
| 4. | CCCN where applicable,    |   |                                 |
| ** | otherwise national tariff |   |                                 |
|    | heading.\                 |   |                                 |
|    | ICS numbers may be        |   |                                 |
|    | provided in addition,     |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable):**      |   |                                 |
|    | Surge brakes (HS Chapter: |   |                                 |
|    | 8703; ICS: 43.040)        |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | Surge Brake Requirements  |   |                                 |
|    | (5 pages, in English)     |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** In response to |   |                                 |
| ** | a petition for rulemaking |   |                                 |
|    | from the Surge Brake      |   |                                 |
|    | Coalition, the Federal    |   |                                 |
|    | Motor Carrier Safety      |   |                                 |
|    | Administration proposes   |   |                                 |
|    | to amend the Federal      |   |                                 |
|    | Motor Carrier Safety      |   |                                 |
|    | Regulations (FMCSRs) to   |   |                                 |
|    | allow the use of          |   |                                 |
|    | automatic hydraulic       |   |                                 |
|    | inertia brake systems     |   |                                 |
|    | (surge brakes) on         |   |                                 |
|    | trailers operated in      |   |                                 |
|    | interstate commerce. A    |   |                                 |
|    | surge brake is a          |   |                                 |
|    | self-contained            |   |                                 |
|    | permanently closed        |   |                                 |
|    | hydraulic brake system    |   |                                 |
|    | activated in response to  |   |                                 |
|    | the braking action of the |   |                                 |
|    | tow vehicle. The amount   |   |                                 |
|    | of trailer braking effort |   |                                 |
|    | developed is proportional |   |                                 |
|    | to the total trailer      |   |                                 |
|    | weight and deceleration   |   |                                 |
|    | rate of the tow vehicle.  |   |                                 |
|    | Currently, surge brakes   |   |                                 |
|    | are not considered by     |   |                                 |
|    | FMCSA to comply with the  |   |                                 |
|    | FMCSRs specifying that    |   |                                 |
|    | all brakes with which a   |   |                                 |
|    | motor vehicle is equipped |   |                                 |
|    | must at all times be      |   |                                 |
|    | capable of operating, and |   |                                 |
|    | that a single application |   |                                 |
|    | valve must, when applied, |   |                                 |
|    | operate all the service   |   |                                 |
|    | brakes on the motor       |   |                                 |
|    | vehicle or combination of |   |                                 |
|    | motor vehicles. The       |   |                                 |
|    | intent of this rulemaking |   |                                 |
|    | is to adopt               |   |                                 |
|    | performance-based brake   |   |                                 |
|    | system requirements to    |   |                                 |
|    | allow the use of surge    |   |                                 |
|    | brakes on certain         |   |                                 |
|    | combinations of           |   |                                 |
|    | commercial motor vehicles |   |                                 |
|    | based upon engineering    |   |                                 |
|    | test data submitted by    |   |                                 |
|    | the Surge Brake           |   |                                 |
|    | Coalition.                |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:**       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | Protection of human       |   |                                 |
|    | safety                    |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | 70 Federal Register (FR)  |   |                                 |
| ** | 58657 7 October 2005;     |   |                                 |
|    | Title 49 Code of Federal  |   |                                 |
|    | Regulations (CFR) Part    |   |                                 |
|    | 393. Will appear in the   |   |                                 |
|    | Federal Register when     |   |                                 |
|    | adopted.                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Proposed date of        | } | To be determined                |
| 9. | adoption:**               |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Proposed date of entry  |   |                                 |
|    | into force:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Final date for          |   |                                 |
| *1 | comments:** 6 December    |   |                                 |
| 0. | 2005                      |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Texts available from:   |   |                                 |
| *1 | National enquiry point    |   |                                 |
| 1. | \[** X **\] or address,   |   |                                 |
| ** | telephone and fax         |   |                                 |
|    | numbers, e-mail and       |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available of the other    |   |                                 |
|    | body:**                   |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | Full Text for this        |   |                                 |
|    | Notification is now       |   |                                 |
|    | available on the Internet |   |                                 |
|    | at URLs:                  |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | http://a257.g.akama       |   |                                 |
|    | itech.net/7/257/2422/01ja |   |                                 |
|    | n20051800/edocket.access. |   |                                 |
|    | gpo.gov/2005/05-20297.htm |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | http://a257.g.akamaitec   |   |                                 |
|    | h.net/7/257/2422/01jan200 |   |                                 |
|    | 51800/edocket.access.gpo. |   |                                 |
|    | gov/2005/pdf/05-20297.pdf |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+