98-6522. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Stability and Control of Medium and Heavy Vehicles During Braking  

  • [Federal Register Volume 63, Number 50 (Monday, March 16, 1998)]
    [Rules and Regulations]
    [Pages 12660-12664]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 98-6522]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
    
    National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
    
    49 CFR Part 571
    
    [Docket No. NHTSA-98-3387]
    RIN 2127-AF96
    
    
    Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Stability and Control of 
    Medium and Heavy Vehicles During Braking
    
    AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.
    
    ACTION: Final rule; petitions for reconsideration.
    
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    SUMMARY: This document responds to petitions for reconsideration of 
    final rules that amended Standard No. 105, Hydraulic Brake Systems, to 
    require medium and heavy vehicles to be equipped with an antilock brake 
    system (ABS). In response to the petitions, this document permits 
    hydraulically-braked vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) 
    greater than 10,000 pounds but less than 19,501 pounds to be equipped 
    with a single wheel speed sensor in the driveline to control wheel
    
    [[Page 12661]]
    
    slip at the drive axle and permits rear tag axles to lock up. 
    Additionally, this document allows motor homes with a GVWR of 22,500 
    pounds or less to use a single rear drive axle wheel speed sensor if 
    they are manufactured before March 1, 2001, after which date new motor 
    homes must meet the same ABS requirements as other hydraulically-braked 
    trucks and buses.
    
    DATES: Effective Dates: The amendments to 49 CFR 571.105 are effective 
    March 1, 1999. Petitions for Reconsideration: Any petition for 
    reconsideration of this rule must be received by NHTSA no later than 
    April 30, 1998.
    
    ADDRESSES: Petitions for reconsideration of this rule should refer to 
    the above referenced docket numbers and should be submitted to: 
    Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 
    Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Samuel Daniel, Jr., Office of 
    Crash Avoidance Standards, National Highway Traffic Safety 
    Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, D.C. 20590; 
    Telephone (202) 366-4921, Fax (202) 366-4329.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    
    Table of Contents
    
    I. Background
    II. Petitions for Reconsideration of the December 1995 Final Rule
    III. NHTSA's Response to Petitions for Reconsideration Related to 
    Standard No. 105
        A. Control of Rear Wheel Slip
        B. Application of ABS to Non-Powered, Rear Tag Axles
        C. ABS Malfunction Lamp Activation Protocol
    
    I. Background
    
        Section 4012 of the Motor Carrier Act of 1991 1 directed 
    the Secretary of Transportation to initiate rulemaking concerning 
    methods for improving the braking performance of new commercial motor 
    vehicles, including trucks, tractors, trailers, and dollies. Congress 
    specifically directed that such a rulemaking examine antilock systems, 
    means of improving brake compatibility, and methods of ensuring 
    effectiveness of brake timing. The Act required that the rulemaking be 
    consistent with the Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1984 (49 U.S.C. 31136) 
    and be carried out pursuant to, and in accordance with the National 
    Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966.2
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        \1\ The Motor Carrier Act is part of the Intermodal Surface 
    Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991, Pub. L. 102-240.
        \2\ Now codified as 49 U.S.C 30101 et seq. (Safety Act)
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        On March 10, 1995, NHTSA issued final rules requiring medium and 
    heavy vehicles 3 to be equipped with an antilock brake 
    system (ABS) to improve their directional stability and control during 
    braking. (60 FR 13216, 60 FR 13297) These final rules also reinstated 
    stopping distance requirements for air-braked heavy vehicles and 
    established stopping distance requirements for hydraulically-braked 
    heavy vehicles. In addition to the ABS requirement, the March 1995 
    final rule specified requirements about the electrical powering of 
    trailer ABS and ABS malfunction indicators. In response to petitions 
    for reconsideration of these requirements, NHTSA published a final rule 
    that affirmed its decision to require these features. (60 FR 63965, 
    December 13, 1995).
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        \3\ The document uses the term heavy vehicles to refer to medium 
    and heavy vehicles.
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    II. Petitions for Reconsideration of the December 1995 Final Rule
    
        NHTSA received petitions for reconsideration of the December 1995 
    amendments to the final rule from the American Trucking Associations 
    (ATA), which represents trucking fleets, the National Private Truck 
    Council (NPTC), which represents private trucking fleets, the Truck 
    Manufacturers Association (TMA) 4, which represents truck 
    manufacturers, the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA), 
    which represents trailer manufacturers, the Heavy Duty Brake 
    Manufacturers Council (HDBMC) 5, which represents heavy duty 
    brake component manufacturers, Midland-Grau, Kelsey-Hayes, Rockwell 
    WABCO, Vehicle Enhancement Systems (VES), AlliedSignal, General Motors 
    (GM), Ford, and the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).
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        \4\ TMA member companies include Ford, Freightliner, General 
    Motors, Mack Trucks, Navistar International, PACCAR, and Volvo GM 
    Heavy Truck.
        \5\ HDBMC member companies include Abex, AlliedSignal, Eaton, 
    Midland-Grau, Ferodo America, Haldex, Lucas, MGM Brakes, Motion 
    Control/Carlisle, Rockwell, Rockwell WABCO, and Spicer/Dana.
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        Most of the petitions focused on issues associated with Standard 
    No. 121's requirements on the electrical powering of trailer ABS and 
    the in-cab display of trailer ABS malfunctions. Those issues were 
    addressed in a final rule published on February 15, 1996. (61 FR 5949)
        Petitions submitted by Ford, GM, Kelsey-Hayes, and RVIA addressed 
    issues associated with Standard No. 105, including the control of rear 
    wheel slip, the application of ABS to non-powered rear tag axles, and 
    the ABS malfunction lamp protocol. The February 1996 final rule stated 
    that it was deferring a response to these petitions because they 
    addressed issues associated with Standard No. 105. Today's notice 
    addresses the concerns raised by those petitioners.
    
    III. NHTSA's Response to Petitions for Reconsideration Related to 
    Standard No. 105
    
    A. Control of Rear Wheel Slip
    
        In the March 1995 final rule, NHTSA required that each 
    hydraulically-braked vehicle with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds be 
    ``equipped with an antilock brake system that directly controls the 
    wheels of at least one front axle and the wheels of at least one rear 
    axle of the vehicle.''
        In the December 1995 final rule that responded to petitions for 
    reconsideration from Chrysler, Kelsey-Hayes, and the American 
    Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA), NHTSA amended Section 
    S5.5.1 by adding the following provision: ``On each vehicle with a GVWR 
    greater than 10,000 pounds but not greater than 12,000 pounds, the 
    antilock brake system may also directly control the wheels of the drive 
    axle by means of a single sensor in the driveline.'' Chrysler stated 
    that all its pickup trucks in the 10,000-12,000 pound GVWR class had 
    successfully used the driveline wheel speed sensor arrangement. 
    Notwithstanding NHTSA's decision to allow this sensing arrangement on 
    hydraulically-braked trucks up to 12,000 pounds, the agency emphasized 
    that such an arrangement would not be appropriate for heavier air-
    braked trucks, because greater braking efficiency is typically required 
    at the rear wheels of such air-braked vehicles than on medium vehicles. 
    This is because air-braked vehicles typically are heavier and have 
    greater load carrying capacity.
        In response to the December 1995 final rule, GM, Ford, and Kelsey-
    Hayes asked NHTSA to revise section S5.5.1 of Standard No. 105. Ford 
    first requested that the 12,000-pound limit allowing driveline wheel 
    speed sensors be raised to 17,500 pounds and then to 20,500 pounds. 
    Kelsey-Hayes requested a 17,500-pound limit for driveline sensors. GM 
    requested a 16,500-pound limit; that company also cited the April 1995 
    AAMA petition for reconsideration requesting that the agency either 
    exempt all hydraulically-braked vehicles from the requirement for two 
    independent rear wheel sensors, or exempt all hydraulically-braked 
    vehicles under
    
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    16,500 pounds GVWR from the ABS mandate.
        Each petitioner stated that the 12,000-pound limit for allowing 
    driveline sensors was not high enough to include their medium trucks 
    that have the same type of driveline sensor as Chrysler's sensor. Ford 
    stated that its F-Series chassis, including the F-350, the E-350, and 
    the E-Super duty vehicles have GVWRs up to 11,000, 12,500, and 14,050 
    pounds, respectively. GM stated that its GMC Sierra 3500 HD chassis cab 
    and the Chevrolet 3500 HD chassis cab can be configured to GVWRs up to 
    15,000 pounds, while its P-30 forward control chassis will soon be 
    available up to 16,500 pounds GVWR. Kelsey-Hayes stated that it has 
    supplied a single driveline sensor to GM since 1992 for use on trucks 
    with GVWRs up to 17,500 pounds.
        In June 1996, GM and Ford 6 supplemented their January 
    1996 petitions for reconsideration, with additional information about 
    driveline sensors. They asked that the upper GVWR limit be eliminated 
    completely and that all ABS-equipped hydraulically-braked vehicles, 
    regardless of GVWR, be allowed to have a single sensor in the driveline 
    to control wheel slip at both rear wheels. In support of their 
    position, GM and Ford tested a light duty truck that was configured and 
    equipped to have a 20,500 pound GVWR. The truck was fitted with a 
    three-sensor, three-modulator (3S/3M) ABS that uses a single driveline 
    rear wheel speed sensor. The vehicle was lightly loaded to 8838 pounds 
    (the worst case condition) and subjected to a 30-mph brake-in-a-curve 
    test similar to, but more stringent than Standard No. 121's brake-in-a-
    curve test for air-braked truck tractors. The petitioner's testing was 
    more stringent given that it was conducted on a curve with a lower 
    radius of curvature ( a 420-foot radius curve rather than a 500-foot 
    one), and on a slippier road surface (a surface with a 0.39 peak 
    friction coefficient (PFC) rather than a 0.50 PFC one). The testing 
    indicated that the single driveline sensor provided an acceptable 
    reading of the individual rear wheel speeds, resulting in the vehicle 
    remaining stable and within the lane throughout the test.
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        \6\ Kelsey-Hayes and RVIA have stated their concurrence with 
    this position.
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        NHTSA agrees with the petitioners that these test results 
    demonstrate that a 3S ABS with a single rear driveline sensor provides 
    satisfactory safety performance for medium duty hydraulically-braked 
    vehicles. The agency has added the term ``rear'' to the sentence in 
    S5.5.1 addressing ABS requirements to assure that a single drive axle 
    sensor is not installed on a front driveline axle. However, the agency 
    is not willing to eliminate the GVWR limit since there are 
    hydraulically-braked trucks with a GVWR in excess of 26,000 pounds and 
    the petitioners provided no 3S ABS braking stability and control test 
    data to support the allowance of 3S ABS for these trucks. The 
    petitioners' test results indicate that the braking stability and 
    control of hydraulically-braked trucks with relatively high GVWRs, up 
    to 20,500 pounds, is not compromised if a manufacturer uses an ABS 
    control strategy that employs a single rear driveline wheel speed 
    sensor in lieu of a control strategy employing direct control of each 
    individual rear wheel.
        Accordingly, this rule permits 3S ABS on hydraulically-braked 
    vehicles up to 19,500 pounds GVWR, a breakpoint in the existing vehicle 
    weight class system used by State vehicle inspectors and the trucking 
    industry generally. A GVWR of 19,500 pounds, the upper limit of Class 
    5, will avoid introducing a unique breakpoint for this 3S ABS 
    requirement that differs from the breakpoints used for other regulatory 
    requirements. The 19,500-pound GVWR limit chosen for this requirement 
    is also slightly less than the test weight of the vehicle used in 
    braking stability and control tests cited by the petitioners.
        By allowing 3S ABS on hydraulically-braked vehicles up to 19,500 
    pounds GVWR, NHTSA has addressed almost all the concerns expressed by 
    the petitioners. However, the American Automobile Manufacturers 
    Association (AAMA) provided additional information in a letter and 
    videotape forwarded to the agency on July 29, 1997. The tape shows a 
    motor home with a GVWR of 22,500 pounds ballasted to 26,000 pounds (the 
    breakpoint for Class 6 vehicles) successfully completing braking-in-a-
    curve testing similar to the braking stability and control testing 
    required in Standard No. 121 for truck tractors. This testing was 
    performed on dry asphalt and wet jennite by Kelsey-Hayes at its vehicle 
    development center. NHTSA staff followed this up by attending a 
    supplementary demonstration of motor home stability and control during 
    braking at General Motors' test track in November 1997.
        The AAMA originally asked that these test results be used to permit 
    extending 3S ABS to all Class 6 hydraulically-braked vehicles (GVWR of 
    up to 26,000 pounds). However, when NHTSA asked for information about 
    what difficulties were posed by using the generally-required 4S ABS for 
    Class 6 vehicles, AAMA responded that the problems were for motor homes 
    only, not other Class 6 vehicles. GM provided information for its P-
    chassis, which is used for 9,000 to 10,000 motor homes annually. The P-
    chassis, which currently uses a 3S ABS, can be used to manufacture a 
    completed motor home with a 22,500-pound GVWR. GM will modify this 
    chassis to use a 4S ABS system, but the modifications won't be ready 
    for production chassis for a few years. In the meantime, GM would have 
    to stop offering this chassis for use by the motor home industry. Since 
    there are no substitute motor home chassis in this GVWR range that 
    offer 4S ABS, these vehicles would in effect be temporarily forced out 
    of the market. RVIA argued that this would be an unfair burden, because 
    these motor homes are produced in very limited quantities (9,000-10,000 
    per year) by small businesses. RVIA also argued that these vehicles are 
    generally driven only for vacationing and camping.
        In response to these arguments and information, NHTSA believes it 
    is appropriate to allow motor homes with a GVWR greater than 19,500 
    pounds to use a 3S ABS system. To prevent the economic hardship of 
    forcing motor home manufacturers to discontinue production for a few 
    years until appropriate 4S ABS chassis are available, the agency will 
    allow 3S ABS motor homes for a limited period of time. However, NHTSA 
    has no information indicating any difficulties for vehicles other than 
    motor homes in the 19,500 to 26,000 pound GVWR range (Class 6 vehicles) 
    in meeting the 4S ABS requirements. Hence, all Class 6 vehicles other 
    than motor homes will be required to provide 4S ABS.
        For the purposes of this 3S ABS rulemaking, NHTSA is defining the 
    term ``motor home'' the same way that term has been defined in Standard 
    No. 208. Thus, a ``motor home'' for purposes of Standard No. 105 will 
    mean ``a motor vehicle with motive power that is designed to provide 
    temporary residential accommodations, as evidenced by the presence of 
    at least four of the following facilities: cooking; refrigeration or 
    ice box; self-contained toilet; heating and/or air conditioning; a 
    potable water supply system including a faucet and a sink; and a 
    separate 110-125 volt electric power supply and/or an LP gas supply.''
        NHTSA believes it can accommodate the needs of motor home 
    manufacturers while assuring that these vehicles will transition 
    quickly to the same braking systems as other vehicles in their GVWR
    
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    range for the following reasons. First, the GM P-chassis, with a GVWR 
    of 22,500 pounds, is the largest hydraulically-braked motor home 
    chassis to use a 3S ABS. Any greater capacity motor home chassis would 
    be newly designed. NHTSA believes it is reasonable to require newly 
    designed Class 6 chassis to use a 4S ABS system. Second, the motor home 
    industry needs a transition period to move from 3S ABS on Class 6 
    vehicles to 4S ABS on those vehicles. GM, the manufacturer of the P-
    chassis, has stated to NHTSA that GM will move to install 4S ABS on 
    this vehicle in the next few years. Given these circumstances, NHTSA 
    will permit motor homes with a GVWR between 19,501 pounds and 22,500 
    pounds to use a 3S ABS system on vehicles manufactured before March 1, 
    2001. This will give GM and other motor home chassis manufacturers 
    three years to develop and install 4S ABS, thus minimizing the burden 
    on both vehicle chassis and motor home manufacturers. All new motor 
    homes manufactured on or after March 1, 2001 with a GVWR of more than 
    19,500 pounds will be required to provide the 4S ABS system required on 
    other vehicles.
        Since 3S ABS will be allowed on motor homes with a GVWR between 
    19,500 pounds and 22,500 pounds, it is important that the incomplete 
    vehicle manufacturer of a chassis equipped with 3S ABS include in the 
    statement of specific conditions of final manufacturer (Part 
    568.4(a)(7)(ii)) that only if the completed vehicle is a motor home, 
    will it conform to the standard. Completed vehicles in the specified 
    GVWR range, other than motor homes, will not conform to the standard, 
    if the incomplete chassis is equipped with a 3S ABS.
    
    B. Application of ABS to Non-Powered, Rear Tag Axles
    
        In its January 29, 1996 petition, RVIA requested that the ABS 
    requirement not apply to hydraulically-braked motor homes with tag 
    axles and GVWRs greater than 10,000 pounds. Tag axles are non-liftable, 
    non-powered axles that are fitted, either in front of or behind the 
    rear axle of the vehicle, by the second-stage vehicle manufacturer. Tag 
    axles improve a vehicle's balance and increase its carrying capacity. 
    RVIA stated that there is no way to apply antilock capability to tag 
    axles added to a vehicle chassis by second-stage vehicle manufacturers, 
    such as RVIA members. RVIA stated that less than 3000 vehicles per 
    model year have a tag axle. It further stated that brake and tag axle 
    manufacturers are reluctant to design, develop, and test ABS systems 
    for such a limited application.
        In its June 24, 1996 supplement to its original petition, RVIA 
    stated that it would support a requirement for ABS on hydraulically-
    braked motor homes, provided that a single driveline rear wheel speed 
    sensor is permitted and that the no-wheel-lockup requirement did not 
    apply to tag axles. With respect to tag axles, RVIA cited tests 
    conducted by GM and Kelsey/Hayes on a GM P-30 motor home chassis with a 
    GVWR of 19,500 pounds. In the tests, the vehicle was lightly loaded 
    (16,500 pounds), and driven at a speed of 25 mph (75 percent of the 
    vehicle's maximum drive-through speed) through a 500-foot radius curve 
    on a wetted jennite surface. The vehicle was also tested fully loaded, 
    on a high to low coefficient of friction transition test (asphalt to 
    ice). While the vehicle's tag axle (which was not controlled by ABS) 
    locked when brakes were applied, the vehicle's ABS modulated the brakes 
    and wheel speeds on the vehicle's powered drive axle and its steering 
    axle. The vehicle remained stable and under control throughout both 
    stops, despite the fact that the tag axle's wheels were locked.
        The agency has received many requests for clarification of the ABS 
    requirements for heavy-duty, single unit vehicles with regard to the 
    number of axles that require ABS sensors. For heavy-duty single unit 
    vehicles, the standard requires ABS control on only one rear axle, 
    regardless of the number of rear axles and regardless of whether the 
    axles are installed as a tag or pusher axle by a final stage 
    manufacturer. To clarify this, the agency has added a definition for 
    the term ``tandem axle,'' which means an arrangement of axles, drive or 
    non-drive, in close proximity to each other. Hence, if a manufacturer 
    chooses to install ABS on the drive axle of a tandem but not on the 
    non-drive (tag or pusher) axle, the wheel lock restrictions would still 
    be able to be met without ABS on the tag or pusher axle. The current 
    wheel lock restrictions allow any two wheels on a tandem axle 
    (including two wheels on the tag axle) to lock-up for any duration. 
    Based on the foregoing, and on the test results mentioned by RVIA, the 
    agency has determined that it is not necessary to equip a tag axle with 
    ABS to comply with the wheel lock restriction requirements. The agency 
    notes that, even though the tag axle wheels locked when the motor 
    home's brakes were applied, the vehicle remained stable within the 
    travel lane throughout the stopping maneuvers. As RVIA stated, tag 
    axles that are added to these type vehicles typically do not carry a 
    significant portion of the vehicle's overall weight. These 
    considerations indicate that there are no negative stability 
    consequences if such axles lock-up.
    
    C. ABS Malfunction Lamp Activation Protocol
    
        In its January 1996 petition for reconsideration, Kelsey-Hayes 
    requested that NHTSA reconsider the final rule's activation protocol 
    requirements for ABS malfunction warning lamps. That company requested 
    that the malfunction warning lamp be allowed to remain activated (i.e., 
    ``on'' or lighted) during a low speed drive away to verify that the 
    vehicle's wheel speed sensors were properly functioning.
        NHTSA has decided not to amend the ABS activation lamp protocol. 
    The agency notes that in support of its request, Kelsey-Hayes did not 
    provide any new data or reasoning, beyond that which was available to 
    the agency prior to the issuance of the March 10, 1995 final rule. At 
    that time, the agency noted that it had considered all the information 
    available on this issue, and had concluded that standardization of the 
    activation protocol was warranted for the following reasons. First, a 
    standardized protocol would enable Federal and State safety inspection 
    personnel to determine the operational status of ABSs without having to 
    move the vehicle. Second, it would preclude confusion among heavy 
    vehicle drivers relative to how this type of lamp functions. Third, 
    standardization would be consistent with ECE requirements on this 
    subject and would, therefore, be consistent with the goal of 
    international harmonization. Given that there is no new information to 
    reverse its previous decision, the agency has decided not to modify the 
    activation protocol requirements.
    
    IV. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices
    
    A. Executive Order 12866 and DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures
    
        This notice has not been reviewed under Executive Order 12866. 
    NHTSA has considered the impacts of this rulemaking action and 
    determined that it is not ``significant'' within the meaning of the 
    Department of Transportation's regulatory policies and procedures. In 
    connection with the March 1995 final rules, the agency prepared a Final 
    Economic Assessment (FEA) describing the economic and other effects of 
    this rulemaking action. Summary discussions of those effects were 
    provided in the ABS final rule. For persons wishing to examine the full 
    analysis, a copy is in the docket.
    
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        The amendments in today's final rule do not make those effects any 
    more stringent, and in some respects, they make it easier for a 
    manufacturer to comply with them. Specifically, by allowing the use of 
    a single driveline sensor to control rear wheel speeds and allowing 
    wheels on tag axles to lock during testing, vehicle manufacturers will 
    have more flexibility to comply with the requirements of this rule and, 
    as a result, costs could be reduced.
    
    B. Regulatory Flexibility Act
    
        NHTSA has also considered the effects of both this final rule and 
    the original final rule under the Regulatory Flexibility Act. I hereby 
    certify that it will not have a significant economic impact on a 
    substantial number of small entities. Accordingly, the agency has not 
    prepared a final regulatory flexibility analysis.
        NHTSA concluded that the March 1995 final rule had no significant 
    impact on a substantial number of small entities. Thus, today's final 
    rule, which could potentially reduce costs associated with the March 
    1995 final rule, will not have a significant economic impact on a 
    substantial number of small entities.
    
    C. National Environmental Policy Act
    
        NHTSA has analyzed this rulemaking action for the purposes of the 
    National Environmental Policy Act. The agency has determined that 
    implementation of this action will not have any significant impact on 
    the quality of the human environment.
    
    D. Executive Order 12612 (Federalism)
    
        NHTSA has analyzed this action under the principles and criteria in 
    Executive Order 12612. The agency has determined that this notice does 
    not have sufficient Federalism implications to warrant the preparation 
    of a Federalism Assessment. No State laws will be affected.
    
    E. Civil Justice Reform
    
        This final rule does not have any retroactive effect. Under 49 
    U.S.C. 30103, whenever a Federal motor vehicle safety standard is in 
    effect, a State may not adopt or maintain a safety standard applicable 
    to the same aspect of performance which is not identical to the Federal 
    standard, except to the extent that the State requirement imposes a 
    higher level of performance and applies only to vehicles procured for 
    the State's use. 49 U.S.C. 30161 sets forth a procedure for judicial 
    review of final rules establishing, amending or revoking Federal motor 
    vehicle safety standards. That section does not require submission of a 
    petition for reconsideration or other administrative proceedings before 
    parties may file suit in court.
    
    List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 571
    
        Imports, Motor vehicle safety, Motor vehicles, Rubber and rubber 
    products, Tires.
    
        In consideration of the foregoing, the agency is amending Standard 
    No. 105, Hydraulic Brake Systems in Title 49 of the Code of Federal 
    Regulations at Part 571 as follows:
    
    PART 571--[AMENDED]
    
        1. 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. CFR 1.50.
    
        2. Section 571.105 is amended by adding the definitions of ``motor 
    home'' and ``tandem axle'' in S4 and by revising S5.5.1, to read as 
    follows:
    
    
    Sec. 571.105  Standard No. 105; Hydraulic and electric brake systems.
    
    * * * * *
    S4. Definitions.
    * * * * *
        Motor home means a motor vehicle with motive power that is designed 
    to provide temporary residential accommodations, as evidenced by the 
    presence of at least four of the following facilities: cooking; 
    refrigeration or ice box; self-contained toilet; heating and/or air 
    conditioning; a potable water supply system including a faucet and a 
    sink; and a separate 110-125 volt electric power supply and/or an LP 
    gas supply.
    * * * * *
        Tandem axle means a group of two or more axles placed in close 
    arrangement one behind the other with the center lines of adjacent 
    axles not more than 72 inches apart.
    * * * * *
        S5.5.1  Each vehicle with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds, except 
    for any vehicle with a speed attainable in 2 miles of not more than 33 
    mph, shall be equipped with an antilock brake system that directly 
    controls the wheels of at least one front axle and the wheels of at 
    least one rear axle of the vehicle. On each vehicle with a GVWR greater 
    than 10,000 pounds but not greater than 19,500 pounds and motor homes 
    with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds but not greater than 22,500 
    pounds manufactured before March 1, 2001, the antilock brake system may 
    also directly control the wheels of the rear drive axle by means of a 
    single sensor in the driveline. Wheels on other axles of the vehicle 
    may be indirectly controlled by the antilock brake system.
    * * * * *
        Issued on: February 23, 1998.
    Ricardo Martinez,
    Administrator.
    [FR Doc. 98-6522 Filed 3-13-98; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
03/16/1998
Department:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Entry Type:
Rule
Action:
Final rule; petitions for reconsideration.
Document Number:
98-6522
Pages:
12660-12664 (5 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Docket No. NHTSA-98-3387
RINs:
2127-AF96: Heavy Duty Vehicle Brake Systems
RIN Links:
https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2127-AF96/heavy-duty-vehicle-brake-systems
PDF File:
98-6522.pdf
CFR: (1)
49 CFR 571.105