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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  |                   |
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|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/141** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 2 September 2005  |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (05-3837)         |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **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. | Department of             |   |                                 |
| ** | Transportation/National   |   |                                 |
|    | Highway Traffic Safety    |   |                                 |
|    | Administration (NHTSA)    |   |                                 |
|    | (147)                     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **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):**      |   |                                 |
|    | Motor home\               |   |                                 |
|    | (HS: 8703; ICS: 43.100)   |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | Federal Motor Vehicle     |   |                                 |
|    | Safety Standards; Cargo   |   |                                 |
|    | Carrying Capacity (12     |   |                                 |
|    | pages, in English)        |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** In this notice |   |                                 |
| ** | of proposed rulemaking    |   |                                 |
|    | (NPRM), we (NHTSA) seek   |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | to address the problem of |   |                                 |
|    | motor home and travel     |   |                                 |
|    | trailer overloading by    |   |                                 |
|    | proposing to amend the    |   |                                 |
|    | Federal motor vehicle     |   |                                 |
|    | safety standard (FMVSS)   |   |                                 |
|    | on tire selection and     |   |                                 |
|    | rims for motor vehicles   |   |                                 |
|    | other than passenger      |   |                                 |
|    | cars. We are also         |   |                                 |
|    | proposing a related       |   |                                 |
|    | amendment to our safety   |   |                                 |
|    | standard for tire         |   |                                 |
|    | selection and rims for    |   |                                 |
|    | light vehicles.           |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | We propose to require     |   |                                 |
|    | manufacturers of motor    |   |                                 |
|    | homes and travel trailers |   |                                 |
|    | over 4,536 kilograms      |   |                                 |
|    | (10,000 pounds) GVWR to   |   |                                 |
|    | provide information to    |   |                                 |
|    | consumers in a label that |   |                                 |
|    | is intended to inform the |   |                                 |
|    | consumer about the        |   |                                 |
|    | vehicle\'s cargo carrying |   |                                 |
|    | capacity (CCC). This      |   |                                 |
|    | information would be      |   |                                 |
|    | helpful both at the time  |   |                                 |
|    | the consumer is making a  |   |                                 |
|    | purchase decision and     |   |                                 |
|    | also as the consumer uses |   |                                 |
|    | his or her vehicle. We    |   |                                 |
|    | also propose to require   |   |                                 |
|    | that the size of tires on |   |                                 |
|    | the same motor homes and  |   |                                 |
|    | travel trailers be the    |   |                                 |
|    | same as the size of the   |   |                                 |
|    | tires listed on the tire  |   |                                 |
|    | information label         |   |                                 |
|    | required by the standard  |   |                                 |
|    | on tire selection and     |   |                                 |
|    | rims for motor vehicles   |   |                                 |
|    | other than passenger      |   |                                 |
|    | cars.                     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | We are limiting our CCC   |   |                                 |
|    | label to motor homes and  |   |                                 |
|    | travel trailers with a    |   |                                 |
|    | GVWR greater than 4,536   |   |                                 |
|    | kilograms (10,000 pounds) |   |                                 |
|    | as these are the vehicles |   |                                 |
|    | that have large open      |   |                                 |
|    | interior areas that       |   |                                 |
|    | consumers fill with       |   |                                 |
|    | cargo. Recreational       |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles (RV) with GVWRs  |   |                                 |
|    | equal to or less than     |   |                                 |
|    | 4,536 kilograms (10,000   |   |                                 |
|    | pounds) will be required  |   |                                 |
|    | to have less detailed CCC |   |                                 |
|    | information as a result   |   |                                 |
|    | of an amendment to the    |   |                                 |
|    | FMVSS on tire selection   |   |                                 |
|    | and rims, which becomes   |   |                                 |
|    | effective 1 September     |   |                                 |
|    | 2005. It should be noted  |   |                                 |
|    | that on 1 June 2007, the  |   |                                 |
|    | FMVSS on tire selection   |   |                                 |
|    | and rims for motor        |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles other than       |   |                                 |
|    | passenger cars will apply |   |                                 |
|    | to vehicles with a GVWR   |   |                                 |
|    | greater than 4,536        |   |                                 |
|    | kilograms (10,000 pounds) |   |                                 |
|    | and the FMVSS on tire     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | selection and rims will   |   |                                 |
|    | apply to vehicles with a  |   |                                 |
|    | GVWR equal to or less     |   |                                 |
|    | than 4,536 kilograms      |   |                                 |
|    | (10,000 pounds). It is    |   |                                 |
|    | our belief that this      |   |                                 |
|    | proposed rule complements |   |                                 |
|    | the efforts of the        |   |                                 |
|    | recreational vehicle      |   |                                 |
|    | industry to provide       |   |                                 |
|    | consumers with            |   |                                 |
|    | information in order to   |   |                                 |
|    | help reduce overloading   |   |                                 |
|    | motor homes and travel    |   |                                 |
|    | trailers. This rulemaking |   |                                 |
|    | responds to a petition    |   |                                 |
|    | from Ms. Justine May.     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | In addition, this         |   |                                 |
|    | proposed rule would       |   |                                 |
|    | provide regulatory relief |   |                                 |
|    | for dealers from a        |   |                                 |
|    | labeling requirement in   |   |                                 |
|    | the safety standard on    |   |                                 |
|    | tire selection and rims   |   |                                 |
|    | for light vehicles. The   |   |                                 |
|    | standard\'s requirement   |   |                                 |
|    | may currently require     |   |                                 |
|    | dealers which add even    |   |                                 |
|    | small amounts of weight   |   |                                 |
|    | to re-label the vehicles. |   |                                 |
|    | Under the proposed        |   |                                 |
|    | amendment, dealers that   |   |                                 |
|    | add weight in excess of   |   |                                 |
|    | 0.5 percent of the        |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles\' gross vehicle  |   |                                 |
|    | weight ratings would be   |   |                                 |
|    | required to disclose this |   |                                 |
|    | extra weight on labels    |   |                                 |
|    | affixed to the vehicles.  |   |                                 |
|    | Dealers could add lesser  |   |                                 |
|    | amounts of weight without |   |                                 |
|    | needing to change or add  |   |                                 |
|    | labels.                   |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:**       |   |                                 |
|    | Protect human safety      |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | 70 Federal Register (FR)  |   |                                 |
| ** | 51707 31 August 2005;     |   |                                 |
|    | Title 49 Code of Federal  |   |                                 |
|    | Regulations (CFR) Part    |   |                                 |
|    | 571. 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:** 31 October    |   |                                 |
| 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 may be found at |   |                                 |
|    | the following Internet    |   |                                 |
|    | URLs:                     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akamai     |   |                                 |
|    | tech.net/7/257/2422/01jan |   |                                 |
|    | 20051800/edocket.access.g |   |                                 |
|    | po.gov/2005/05-17245.htm> |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akamaitech |   |                                 |
|    | .net/7/257/2422/01jan2005 |   |                                 |
|    | 1800/edocket.access.gpo.g |   |                                 |
|    | ov/2005/pdf/05-17245.pdf> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+