+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/164** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 19 December 2005  |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (05-6133)         |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **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)    |   |                                 |
|    | (169)                     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **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):** Air  |   |                                 |
|    | Brake Systems (HS:  8703; |   |                                 |
|    | ICS 43).                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | Federal Motor Vehicle     |   |                                 |
|    | Safety Standards; Air     |   |                                 |
|    | Brake Systems (13 Pages,  |   |                                 |
|    | in English).              |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** The agency is  |   |                                 |
| ** | proposing to amend our    |   |                                 |
|    | air brake standard to     |   |                                 |
|    | improve the stopping      |   |                                 |
|    | distance performance of   |   |                                 |
|    | truck tractors. Based on  |   |                                 |
|    | current safety trend data |   |                                 |
|    | and brake system          |   |                                 |
|    | technologies for truck    |   |                                 |
|    | tractors, we are          |   |                                 |
|    | proposing to reduce the   |   |                                 |
|    | required stopping         |   |                                 |
|    | distance for these        |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles by 20 to 30 per  |   |                                 |
|    | cent. We have tentatively |   |                                 |
|    | concluded that truck      |   |                                 |
|    | tractors are capable of   |   |                                 |
|    | achieving a reduction in  |   |                                 |
|    | stopping distance within  |   |                                 |
|    | this range with existing  |   |                                 |
|    | technologies. We also     |   |                                 |
|    | discuss research and      |   |                                 |
|    | request comment           |   |                                 |
|    | concerning improving the  |   |                                 |
|    | braking performance of    |   |                                 |
|    | other types of heavy      |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles, i.e., trailers, |   |                                 |
|    | straight trucks, and      |   |                                 |
|    | buses. The agency may     |   |                                 |
|    | address improved braking  |   |                                 |
|    | performance for these     |   |                                 |
|    | other vehicles in a       |   |                                 |
|    | future rulemaking.        |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:**       |   |                                 |
|    | Protection of human life  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | 70 Federal Register (FR)  |   |                                 |
| ** | 74270 15 December 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:** 14 April 2006 |   |                                 |
| 0. |                           |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **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/2005/05-24070.htm> |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akamaitech |   |                                 |
|    | .net/7/257/2422/01jan2005 |   |                                 |
|    | 1800/edocket.access.gpo.g |   |                                 |
|    | ov/2005/pdf/05-24070.pdf> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+