2018-17939. Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Request for public comment on proposed collection of information.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before September 19, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Coleman Sachs, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (NEF-230), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, West Building 4th Floor, Room W45-205, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Sachs' telephone number is [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Title: Consolidated Labeling Requirements for 49 CFR parts 565 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Requirements, and 567 Certification.

OMB Number: 2127-0510.

Type of Request: Reinstatement of a Previously Approved Collection.

The Federal Register Notice soliciting public comment on the ICR, with a 60-day comment period was published on February 28, 2018, at 83 FR 8732.

Abstract:

Part 565

The regulations in part 565 specify the format, contents, and physical requirements for a vehicle identification number (VIN) system and its installation to simplify vehicle identification information retrieval and to increase the accuracy and efficiency of vehicle recall campaigns. The regulations require each vehicle manufactured in one stage to have a VIN that is assigned by the vehicle's manufacturer. Each vehicle manufactured in more than one stage is to have a VIN assigned by the incomplete vehicle manufacturer. Each VIN must consist of 17 characters, including a check digit, in the ninth position, with the purpose of verifying the accuracy of any VIN transcription. The VIN must also incorporate the world manufacturer identifier (WMI) assigned to the manufacturer by the competent authority in the country where the manufacturer is located. The WMI occupies the first three characters of the VIN for manufacturers that produce 1,000 or more vehicles of a specified type within a model year, and positions 1, 2, 3, 12, 13, and 14 of VINs assigned by manufacturers that produce less than 1,000 vehicles of a specified type per model year. The remaining characters of the VIN describe various vehicle attributes, such as make, model, and type, which vary depending on the vehicle's type classification (i.e. passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, bus, trailer, motorcycle, low-speed vehicle), and identify the vehicle's model year, plant code, and sequential production number. NHTSA has contracted with SAE International of Warrendale, Pennsylvania, to coordinate the assignment of WMIs to manufacturers in the United States. Each manufacturer of vehicles subject to the requirements of part 565 must 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 are also required to submit to NHTSA, information necessary to decipher the characters contained in their VINs, including amendments to that information, 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. With changes implemented in 2015, manufacturers have been able to make these submissions using an online portal on the agency's website at https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Part 567

The regulations in part 567 specify the content and location of, and other requirements for, the certification label to be affixed to a motor vehicle, as required by the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended (the Vehicle Safety Act) (49 U.S.C. 30115) and the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended (the Cost Savings Act) (49 U.S.C. 30254 and 33109), to address certification-related duties and liabilities, and to provide the consumer with information to assist him or her in determining which of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) (as found in 49 CFR part 571), Bumper Standards (as found in 49 CFR part 581), and Federal Theft Prevention Standards (as found in 49 CFR part 541) are applicable to the vehicle. The regulations pertain to manufacturers of motor vehicles to which one or more standards are applicable, including persons who alter such vehicles prior to their first retail sale, and to Registered Importers of vehicles not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable FMVSS that are determined eligible for importation by NHTSA, based on the vehicles' capability of being modified to conform to those standards. The regulations require each manufacturer to affix to each vehicle, in a prescribed location, a label that, among other things, identifies the vehicle's manufacturer (defined as the person who actually assembles the vehicle), the vehicle's date of manufacture, and the statement that the vehicle complies with all applicable FMVSS and, where applicable, Bumper and Theft Prevention Standards in effect on the date of manufacture. The label must also include the vehicle's gross vehicle and gross axle weight ratings (GVWR and GAWRs), vehicle identification number, and vehicle type classification (i.e., passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, bus, trailer, motorcycle, low-speed vehicle). The regulations specify other labeling requirements for incomplete vehicle, intermediate, and final-stage manufacturers of vehicles built in two or more stages, such as commercial trucks that are built by adding work performing components, such as a cargo box or cement mixer, to a previously manufactured chassis or chassis-cab, and to persons who alter previously certified vehicles, other than by the addition, substitution, or removal of readily attachable components such as mirrors or tire and rim assemblies, or minor finishing operation such as painting, before the first purchase of the vehicle for purposes other than resale.

Affected Public: Motor vehicle manufacturers, including incomplete vehicle manufacturers and intermediate and final-stage manufacturers of vehicles built in two or more stages, vehicle alterers, and Registered Importers of motor vehicles that are not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable FMVSS.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 733 hours and $21,990 for supplying required VIN-deciphering information to NHTSA under part 565; 88,000 hours and $1,760,000 for meeting the labeling requirements of part 567.

Addresses: Send comments, within 30 days, to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503, Attention NHTSA Desk Officer.

Comments Are Invited On: Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. A comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.

Jeffrey M. Giuseppe,

Associate Administrator for Enforcement.