. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/USA/141 
2 September 2005 
 (05-3837) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   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:         
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Motor home  
(HS: 8703;  ICS:  43.100) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Federal Motor 
Vehicle Safety Standards;  Cargo Carry ing Capacity (12 pages, in English) 
6. Description of content:   In this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), we (NHTSA) seek 
to address the problem of motor home and trav el trailer overloading by proposing to amend 
the Federal motor vehicle safety standard (F MVSS) 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 require d 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 p ounds) 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) w ill 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 shoul d be noted that on 1 June 2007, the FMVSS 
on tire selection and rims for motor vehicles othe r than passenger cars will apply to vehicles 
with a GVWR greater than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) and the FMVSS on tire   G/TBT/N/USA/141 
Page 2  
 
 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 trav el 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 pr oposed 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 needi ng to change or add labels. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protect human safety 
8. Relevant documents:   70 Federal Register (FR) 51707  31 August 2005;  Title 49 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 571.  Will app ear in the Federal Register when adopted. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:   31 October 2005 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  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.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-
17245.htm 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/
05-17245.pdf