29036 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 111 / Friday, June 7, 1996 / Rules and Regulations

TABLE VI.—YEAR CODES FOR VIN—

Continued

Year Code

2005 .......................................... 5

2006 .......................................... 6

2007 .......................................... 7

2008 .......................................... 8

2009 .......................................... 9

2010 .......................................... A

2011 .......................................... B

2012 .......................................... C

2013 .......................................... D

(2) The second character of the fourth

section shall represent the plant of

manufacture.

(3) The third through the eighth

characters of the fourth section shall

represent the number sequentially

assigned by the manufacturer in the

production process if the manufacturer

produces 500 or more vehicles of its

type annually. If the manufacturer

produces less than 500 motor vehicles

of its type annually, the third, fourth

and fifth characters of the fourth

section, combined with the three

characters of the first section, shall

uniquely identify the manufacturer,

make and type of the motor vehicle and

the sixth, seventh, and eighth characters

of the fourth section shall represent the

number sequentially assigned by the

manufacturer in the production process.

§ 565.7 Reporting requirements.

The information collection

requirements contained in this part have

been approved by the Office of

Management and Budget under the

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and have

been assigned OMB Control Number

2127–0510.

(a) The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA) has

contracted with the Society of

Automotive Engineers (SAE) to

coordinate the assignment of

manufacturer identifiers. Manufacturer

identifiers will be supplied by SAE at

no charge. All requests for assignments

of manufacturer identifiers should be

forwarded directly to: Society of

Automotive Engineers, 400

Commonwealth Avenue, Warrendale,

Pennsylvania 15096, Attention: WMI

Coordinator. Any requests for identifiers

submitted to NHTSA will be forwarded

to SAE. Manufacturers may request a

specific identifier or may request only

assignment of an identifier(s). SAE will

review requests for specific identifiers

to determine that they do not conflict

with an identifier already assigned or

block of identifiers already reserved.

SAE will confirm the assignments in

writing to the requester. Once confirmed

by SAE, the identifier need not be

resubmitted to NHTSA.

(b) Manufacturers of vehicles subject

to this part shall submit, either directly

or through an agent, the unique

identifier for each make and type of

vehicle it manufactures at least 60 days

before affixing the first VIN using the

identifier. Manufacturers whose unique

identifier appears in the fourth section

of the VIN shall also submit the three

characters of the first section that

constitutes a part of their identifier.

(c) Manufacturers of vehicles subject

to the requirements of this part shall

submit to NHTSA the information

necessary to decipher the characters

contained in its VINs. Amendments to

this information shall be submitted to

the agency for VINs containing an

amended coding. The agency will not

routinely provide written approvals of

these submissions, but will contact the

manufacturer should any corrections to

these submissions be necessary.

(d) The information required under

paragraph (c) of this section shall be

submitted at least 60 days prior to

offering for sale the first vehicle

identified by a VIN containing that

information, or if information

concerning vehicle characteristics

sufficient to specify the VIN code is

unavailable to the manufacturer by that

date, then within one week after that

information first becomes available. The

information shall be addressed to:

Administrator, National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590, Attention: VIN Coordinator.

PART 567—[AMENDED]

4. The authority citation for part 567

is revised to read as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, 30115,

30117, 30166, 32502, 32504, 33101–33014,

and 33109; delegation of authority at 49 CFR

1.50.

5. In § 567.4, paragraphs (k)

introductory text and (l) are revised to

read as follows:

§ 567.4 Requirements for manufacturers of

motor vehicles.

* * * * *

(k) In the case of passenger cars

admitted to the United States under 49

CFR part 592 to which the label

required by this section has not been

affixed by the original producer or

assembler of the passenger car, a label

meeting the requirements of this

paragraph shall be affixed by the

importer before the vehicle is imported

into the United States, if the car is from

a line listed in Appendix A of 49 CFR

Part 541. This label shall be in addition

to, and not in place of, the label

required by paragraphs (a) through (j),

inclusive, of this section.

* * * * *

(l)(1) In the case of a passenger car

imported into the United States under

49 CFR 591.5(f) which does not have an

identification number that complies

with 49 CFR 565.4 (b), (c), and (g) at the

time of importation, the Registered

Importer shall permanently affix a label

to the vehicle in such a manner that,

unless the label is riveted, it cannot be

removed without being destroyed or

defaced. The label shall be in addition

to the label required by paragraph (a) of

this section, and shall be affixed to the

vehicle in a location specified in

paragraph (c) of this section.

(2) The label shall contain the

following statement, in the English

language, lettered in block capitals and

numerals not less than 4 mm high, with

the location on the vehicle of the

original manufacturer’s identification

number provided in the blank:

ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER’S

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

SUBSTITUTING FOR U.S. VIN IS

LOCATED llllll.

PART 571—[AMENDED]

6. The authority citation for part 571

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, 30115,

30117, and 30166; delegation of authority at

49 CFR 1.50.

§ 571.115 [Removed and Reserved]

7. Section 571.115 is removed, and

reserved.

Issued on: May 31, 1996.

Ricardo Martinez,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 96–14241 Filed 6–6–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

Surface Transportation Board

49 CFR Part 1039

[STB Ex Parte No. 550]

Removal of Obsolete Regulations

Concerning Railroad Contracts

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation

Board (the Board) is removing from the

Code of Federal Regulations obsolete

regulations exempting non-agricultural

railroad transportation contracts from

the contract filing requirement that

previously applied to railroad contracts.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1996.
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 111 / Friday, June 7, 1996 / Rules and Regulations 29037

1 Rail carriers were still required to file contract

summaries for all their transportation contracts.

2 Minor changes were also made to part 1313.

3 The comment date was extended to May 28,

1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beryl Gordon, (202) 927–5660. [TDD for

the hearing impaired: (202) 927–5721.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Effective

January 1, 1996, the ICC Termination

Act of 1995, Pub. L. No. 104–88, 109

Stat. 803 (ICCTA) abolished the

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

and established the Board within the

Department of Transportation. Section

204(a) of the ICCTA provides that ‘‘[t]he

Board shall promptly rescind all

regulations established by the [ICC] that

are based on provisions of law repealed

and not substantively reenacted by this

Act.’’

Prior to the ICCTA, the ICC had

issued regulations governing rail

contracts in 49 CFR part 1313, which

included provisions for filing all such

contracts pursuant to former 49 U.S.C.

10713(b)(1). The ICC had later exempted

rail carriers from the contract filing

requirement, except where the contract

was for the transportation of agricultural

commodities.1 Railroad Transportation

Contracts, 8 I.C.C.2d 730 (1992). The

regulations codifying this exemption

were placed at 49 CFR 1039.23.2

The ICCTA changed the underlying

law governing railroad transportation

contracts, which is now located at 49

U.S.C. 10709, in several important

respects. As pertinent here, it eliminates

any regulation of non-agricultural

contracts. Moreover, for agricultural

contracts, new 49 U.S.C. 10709(d)(1)

only requires a contract summary to be

filed with the Board, and not the full

contract.

In Railroad Contracts, STB Ex Parte

No. 541 (STB served Mar. 26, 1996)

(ANPR), published at 61 FR 13147, the

Board issued an advance notice of

proposed rulemaking soliciting

comments from the transportation

community as to appropriate regulations

for administering new § 10709.3 We

noted that the regulations set forth at 49

CFR Part 1313 that implemented former

§ 10713 are not suitable for carrying out

new § 10709. While we will soon be

issuing proposed rules in response to

comments responding to the ANPR, we

see no need in the interim to continue

the obsolete regulations in § 1039.23.

Because there is no longer a statutory

requirement for any contract filing, the

exemption from filing contracts and

contract amendments for nonagricultural commodities is

unnecessary. Moreover, the statement in

§ 1039.23 that contracts must be filed for

agricultural commodities is no longer

true. We are therefore removing the now

obsolete § 1039.23 regulations.

Because this action merely reflects,

and is required by, the enactment of the

ICCTA and will not have an adverse

effect on the interests of any person, this

action will be deemed to be effective as

of January 1, 1996.

This action will not significantly

affect either the quality of the human

environment or the conservation of

energy resources.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 1039

Agricultural commodities, Intermodal

transportation, Manufactured

commodities, Railroads.

Decided: May 24, 1996.

By the Board, Chairman Morgan, Vice

Chairman Simmons, and Commissioner

Owen.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

For the reasons set forth in the

preamble and under the authority of 49

U.S.C. 721(a), title 49, chapter X, Part

1039 of the Code of Federal Regulations

is amended as set forth below:

PART 1039—EXEMPTIONS

1. The authority citation for part 1039

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 553 and 49 U.S.C. 721

and 10502.

§ 1039.23 [Removed]

2. Section 1039.23 is removed.

[FR Doc. 96–14416 Filed 6–6–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P