Notice2025-02615
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Reporting of Information and Documents About Potential Defects
Primary source
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Published
February 14, 2025
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Abstract
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. This is an extension without change of a currently approved information collection on the reporting of information and documents about potential defects, "Reporting of Information And Communications About Potential Defects".
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 30 (Friday, February 14, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 30 (Friday, February 14, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9655-9664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02615]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2025-0004]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Reporting of Information and Documents About Potential Defects
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments on an extension without change
of a currently approved collection of information.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR)
summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR describes the nature of
the information collection and its expected burden. This is an
extension without change of a currently approved information collection
on the reporting of information and documents about potential defects,
``Reporting of Information And Communications About Potential
Defects''.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 17, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2024-0055 through any of the following methods:
<bullet> Electronic submissions: Go to the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the online instructions
for submitting comments.
<bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
<bullet> Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except on Federal holidays.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number for this notice. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any
personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading
below.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search for the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/privacy">https://www.transportation.gov/privacy</a>.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
dockets via the internet.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access
to background documents, contact Jeff Quandt, Trends Analysis Division
(NEF-108), Room W48-312, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone
(202) 366-5207. Please identify the relevant collection of information
by referring to its OMB Control Number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), a
Federal agency must receive approval from the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) before it collects certain information from the public,
and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information
by a Federal agency unless the collection displays a valid OMB control
number. In compliance with these requirements, this notice announces
that the following information collection request will be submitted to
OMB.
Title: Reporting of Information and Documents About Potential
Defects.
OMB Control Number: 2127-0616.
Type of Request: Extension without change of a currently approved
information collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Length of Approval Requested: 3 years from the date of approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: This notice requests
comment on NHTSA's intention to seek approval from OMB to extend
without change a currently approved collection of information, OMB No.
2127-0616, covering requirements in 49 CFR 579, ``Reporting of
Information and Communications about Potential Defects''. Part 579
implements, and addresses with more specificity, requirements from the
Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability and Documentation
(TREAD) Act (Pub. L. 106-414), which was enacted on November 1, 2000,
and is codified at 49 U.S.C. 30166.
The purpose of part 579 is to enhance motor vehicle safety by
specifying information and documents that manufacturers of motor
vehicles and
[[Page 9656]]
motor vehicle equipment must provide to NHTSA concerning possible
safety-related defects and non-compliances in their products, including
the reporting of safety recalls and other safety campaigns the
manufacturers conduct outside the United States. Under part 579, there
are three categories of reporting requirements: (1) Requirements at
Sec. 579.5 to submit notices, bulletins, customer satisfaction
campaigns, consumer advisories, and other communications (found in
subpart A of part 579); (2) requirements at Sec. 579.11 to submit
information related to safety recalls and other safety campaigns in the
foreign countries (found in Subpart B of part 579); and (3)
requirements at Sec. Sec. 579.21-28 to submit Early Warning
Information (found in subpart C of part 579). The Early Warning
Reporting (EWR) requirements (U.S.C. 30166(m); 49 CFR part 579, subpart
C) specify that manufacturers of motor vehicles and motor vehicle
equipment must submit to NHTSA information periodically or upon NHTSA's
request, that includes claims or notices for incidents involving death
or injury; numbers of property damage claims, consumer complaints,
warranty claims, and field reports; copies of field reports; and other
information that may assist NHTSA in identifying potential safety-
related defects. The intent of this information collection is to
provide early warning of such potential safety-related defects to
NHTSA.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: The information required under 49 U.S.C. 30166 and 49 CFR
part 579 is used by NHTSA to promptly identify potential safety-related
defects in motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment in the United
States. When a trend in incidents arising from a potentially safety-
related defect is discovered, NHTSA relies on this information, along
with other agency data, to determine whether to open a defect
investigation.
60-Day Notice
A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting
public comments on the following information collection was published
on September 20, 2024 (89 FR 77228). Three commenters submitted
comments in response to the 60-day notice.<SUP>1 2</SUP> All three
commenters expressed support for the benefits of the Agency's part 579
information collection. None of the comments concerned the burden
analysis contained in the notice. Two commenters identified concerns
with the effectiveness of the information collection for incidents
involving semitrailer underride collisions and provided recommendations
for improvements.
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\1\ Multiple submissions with attachments from one of the
commenters resulted in higher counts for Public Comments at
<a href="http://federalregister.gov">federalregister.gov</a> (47) and for Document Comments (5) at
<a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, see <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/09/20/2024-21509/agency-information-collection-activities-notice-and-request-for-comment-reporting-of-information-and">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/09/20/2024-21509/agency-information-collection-activities-notice-and-request-for-comment-reporting-of-information-and</a> and <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/NHTSA-2024-0055-0001/comment">https://www.regulations.gov/document/NHTSA-2024-0055-0001/comment</a>.
\2\ See <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/NHTSA-2024-0055-0001/comment">https://www.regulations.gov/document/NHTSA-2024-0055-0001/comment</a>.
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One commenter, Mr. Eric Hein, submitted three comments with a total
of forty-five attachments, each of which were marked as separate
comments.\3\ Mr. Hein expressed support for the Agency's part 579
information collection but used information about side underride
collisions into semitrailers ``as an example of how to improve the
information collection about potential safety defects.'' He listed five
purported issues that, if addressed, could ``enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected'' by the
Agency: (1) missing Early Warning Reporting (EWR) death and injury
incident reports; (2) a lapse in EWR reporting from one trailer
manufacturer; (3) excessive time lag in EWR reporting of death and
injury incidents; (4) alleged inaction by the Agency in not opening a
safety defect investigation of alleged semitrailer underride defect
conditions; and (5) questions about actions taken to address Office of
Inspector General recommendations about the process for determining
when to investigate potential safety defects.
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\3\ See <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/NHTSA-2024-0055-0002">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/NHTSA-2024-0055-0002</a>, <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/NHTSA-2024-0055-0003">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/NHTSA-2024-0055-0003</a>, and
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/NHTSA-2024-0055-0004">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/NHTSA-2024-0055-0004</a>.
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Regarding ``missing EWR reports,'' Mr. Hein alleged that trailer
manufacturers failed to submit reports to the Agency regarding seven
(7) fatal side underride crashes between semitrailers and passenger
vehicles that occurred between 2009 to 2020. He asked the Agency to
confirm that these incidents should have been reported and to explain
how it ``intend[s] to correct these omissions and enforce EWR non-
reporting.'' As background, the requirements for reporting incidents
involving death or injury by manufacturers of 5,000 or more trailers
annually are contained in 49 CFR 579.24(b). There are several elements
to the reporting requirement. First, reporting is required for ``each
incident involving one or more deaths or injuries occurring in the
United States that is identified in a claim against and received by the
manufacturer or in a notice received by the manufacturer which notice
alleges or proves that the death or injury was caused by a possible
defect in the manufacturer's trailer'' as specified in paragraph
(b)(1). Second, the requirement is limited to claims and notices
received about ``all trailers manufactured during a model year covered
by the reporting period and the nine model years prior to the earliest
model year in the reporting period.'' Last, the claim or notice must
identify the trailer with the minimal specificity for vehicles as
defined in Sec. 579.4.
The Agency reviewed the information provided by Mr. Hein about the
7 allegedly missing EWR reports and other public information about the
incidents and found that 4 of the involved trailers were well over the
reporting age limit on the dates of the incidents. A fifth incident,
which was the subject of an investigation by the Agency's Special Crash
Investigations program, did not contain any evidence that a claim or
notice was ever sent to the trailer manufacturer. A sixth incident,
which occurred over 15 years ago, did not contain sufficient
information about the product to determine whether it should have been
reported to the Agency. Our review found that just 1 of the 7 incidents
cited by Mr. Hein may meet the requirements for reporting as an EWR
death or injury claim or notice. The subject incident is a fatal crash
involving a 2012 semitrailer that occurred in 2017 with a lawsuit that
includes allegations referencing the absence of side underride guard
protection filed in 2019, approximately 27 months after the incident.
The Agency also reviewed 36 additional fatal crash incidents
submitted by Mr. Hein as attachments to his comment letter.\4\ This
review found that just one-third (12) of the incidents were reported
with the minimal specificity required for identifying the subject
semitrailers. Of these 12 incidents, 5 involved semitrailers that were
beyond the age limit for part 579 reporting on the date of the
incident, and a sixth incident involved a semitrailer that was
approximately 9 years old when the crash occurred and would likely have
been near or beyond
[[Page 9657]]
the reporting age limit.\5\ None of the remaining 7 incidents included
any evidence that any claim or notice was received by the manufacturer.
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\4\ These attachments are identified in Mr. Hein's comments as
``40 complaint letters of fatal side underride crashes into
semitrailers to Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) (Attachments
2-41).'' Our review identified 39 such letters (there was no
Attachment 37 provided), including 3 that duplicated reports
previously reviewed as ``Missing Reports,'' resulting in 36 new
incidents.
\5\ This incident involved a 2009 trailer and a fatal crash
occurring on July 2, 2018. Any claim or notice received by the
manufacturer after it began production of 2019 trailers would not
meet the reporting limit for ``nine model years prior to the
earliest model year in the reporting period'' contained in Sec.
579.24(b).
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The second issue raised by Mr. Hein concerned a semitrailer
manufacturer that was purportedly not listed in the online Early
Warning Reporting-Data Search ``even though they from 2020 to 2022
produced an average of 15,480 trailers per year,'' and that had
allegedly failed to report a fatal side-underride collision that
occurred in 2019. The Agency's review found that the company identified
by Mr. Hein failed to submit EWR production and aggregate data reports
required by Sec. 579.24 for multiple reporting quarters. However, the
Agency did not confirm that the fatal crash cited by Mr. Hein should
have been reported, as it involved a semitrailer that was greater than
10 years old when the collision occurred, and the Agency is not aware
of any record of a claim or notice received by the trailer
manufacturer. The lawsuit referenced in Mr. Hein's comment letter was a
claim against the manufacturer of the vehicle that struck the trailer,
not the trailer manufacturer. We also note that fatal incidents with
reportable claims or notices must be reported by all trailer
manufacturers regardless of production volume. The requirements for
reporting information about incidents involving death for manufacturers
of fewer than 5,000 trailers annually are contained in Sec. 579.27(b).
Mr. Hein also questioned the timeliness of manufacturer reporting
of death and injury incidents, citing as examples two incidents that
were reported nearly three years after the crashes occurred. The
reporting requirements for information on incidents involving death or
injury are triggered by the manufacturer's receipt of a claim or notice
that ``alleges or proves that the death or injury was caused by a
possible defect in the manufacturer's trailer'' and not by the incident
date as suggested by Mr. Hein's comments. The current regulation
requires incidents involving death or injury to be reported to NHTSA
within 60 days of the end of the quarter in which the manufacturer
received an initial claim or notice containing such allegations. Any
changes in this reporting requirement would require rulemaking and are
outside the scope of this request for extension of a currently approved
information collection.
Finally, the Agency reviewed Mr. Hein's concerns about the
processes used by the Agency for deciding when to open a defect
investigation and the resolution of specific recommendations from a
2015 Office of Inspector General audit. As background, Mr. Hein has
submitted several petitions to the Agency requesting the investigation
of certain semitrailers lacking side underride guards (SUGs) or lacking
effective rear underride guards.\6\ He submitted the first petition in
September 2021, requesting that the Agency investigate the absence of
side underride guards (SUGs) in van-type and box semitrailers as a
safety defect (see Defect Petition DP21004).\7\ That petition was
denied in July 2022, citing the ongoing evaluation of SUGs as directed
by Congress in section 23011 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)
(November 15, 2021).\8\ In August 2022, Mr. Hein petitioned the Agency
to investigate semitrailers lacking effective rear underride guard
protection (see Defect Petition DP22004).\9\ That petition was denied
in June 2024, based on an assessment that the issues raised were ``best
addressed through [the Agency's] recent rulemaking and the ongoing
actions under BIL.'' \10\ In July 2024, he petitioned the Agency once
more seeking an investigation of semitrailers lacking SUGs (see Defect
Petition DP24004).\11\ The latest petition is currently pending. Given
the nature of the concerns cited by Mr. Hein about the processes used
by the Agency and the resolution of specific recommendations from a
2015 Office of Inspector General audit, as well as the petition
currently pending with the Agency, the Agency considers these concerns
to be outside the scope of this request for an extension of a currently
approved information collection.\12\
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\6\ The petitions request safety defect investigation into
``van-type or box semitrailers'' due to ``a lack of side underride
guards'' or ``a lack of effective Rear Impact Guards.''
\7\ See DP21-004 opening resume: <a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2021/INOA-DP21004-7938.PDF">https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2021/INOA-DP21004-7938.PDF</a>.
\8\ See Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition, DP21-004, 87 FR
39899, 39901 (July 5, 2022).
\9\ See DP22-004 opening resume: <a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2022/INOA-DP22004-7626.PDF">https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2022/INOA-DP22004-7626.PDF</a>.
\10\ See Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition, DP22-004, 89
FR 53476, 53477 (June 26, 2024).
\11\ See DP24-004 opening resume: <a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INOA-DP24004-16266.pdf">https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INOA-DP24004-16266.pdf</a>.
\12\ We note that the OIG audit recommendations referenced in
his comments have all been closed, effective October 17, 2024. See
U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspection General,
Audit Reports, <a href="https://www.oig.dot.gov/library-item/39520">https://www.oig.dot.gov/library-item/39520</a>.
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In summary, our review of 8 incidents of alleged non-reporting of
fatal incidents submitted in Mr. Hein's letter identified one incident
that does not appear to have been reported as required. We also
confirmed the lapse in certain reporting by one manufacturer that was
identified by Mr. Hein. The Agency works to resolve isolated errors or
omissions in reporting from a manufacturer by correcting the reporting
issue, reviewing the reasons for the error, and reviewing the
manufacturer's corrective actions for avoiding similar errors in future
reporting. If we detect a pattern of reporting non-compliance or other
serious violations, we may open a formal investigation of the
manufacturer's compliance with part 579 reporting. Manufacturers may be
assessed penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements
depending on the severity of the violations. We appreciate the
opportunity to review the information provided by Mr. Hein about
suspected non-reporting of incidents involving death or injury and
welcome such questions from anyone who has specific information
indicating potential part 579 non-compliance.
The second commenter, Mrs. Marianne Karth, expressed concerns with
the requirements for information collection about incidents involving
``passenger vehicle and pedestrian/cyclist underride/override in
crashes with large trucks (truck-tractors, tractor-trailers, and single
unit trucks).'' She recommended updating the EWR information collection
to ``include detailed information'' about such incidents, potentially
including a specific code for reporting underride incidents for the
affected reporting categories. This recommendation would require
amending the current EWR reporting regulation and is outside the scope
of this request for an extension of a currently approved information
collection.
The third and final comments were submitted by Mr. Thomas J. Karol
on behalf of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
(NAMIC). Mr. Karol expressed strong support for the part 579
information collection requirements and suggested that the Agency seek
input from representatives of the insurance industry to improve the
``performance and efficacy of the proposed reporting.''
Affected Public: Manufacturers of motor vehicles and motor vehicle
equipment.
Estimated Number of Respondents: NHTSA receives part 579
submissions from approximately 273 manufacturers per year. We estimate
that there will be a total of 273 respondents per year to
[[Page 9658]]
this extension of the currently approved OMB No. 2127-0616, instead of
the previously estimated 337 respondents per year. The manufacturer
estimate is an update to the 60-day notice estimation of 297
respondents and corrects an error in overcounting manufacturers in the
past.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours and Cost: NHTSA is updating the
estimates to better align with the current volume of submissions. NHTSA
now estimates the total annual burden hours associated with this
collection to be 51,327 hours based on analysis of EWR reporting data
from the 2021 through 2023 reporting years. This is a change from the
estimated 54,088 annual burden hours in the 60-day notice because of
the correction to the estimated number of respondents described above.
When this approved information collection was last renewed in April
2022, NHTSA estimated the annual burden associated with this collection
to be 53,810 burden hours.
NHTSA estimated the burdens associated with this collection by
calculating the burden associated with submitting information under
each subpart of part 579. In addition to these burdens, NHTSA also
estimates that manufacturers will incur computer maintenance burden
hours, which are estimated on a per-manufacturer basis. There were no
burden-related comments, in turn, burden-related changes are not in
response to comments, but rather an overall estimation update.
Requirements Under Part 579, Subpart A
The first component of this collection request covers the
requirements found in part 579 subpart A, Sec. 579.5, Notices,
bulletins, customer satisfaction campaigns, consumer advisories, and
other communications. Section 579.5 requires manufacturers to furnish
(1) a copy of all notices, bulletins, and other communications sent to
more than one manufacturer, distributor, dealer, lessor, lessee, owner,
or purchaser, in the United States, regarding any defect in its
vehicles or items of equipment (including any failure of malfunction
beyond normal deterioration in use, or any failure of performance, or
any flaw or unintended deviation from design specifications), whether
or not such defect is safety-related and (2) a copy of each
communication relating to a customer satisfaction campaign, consumer
advisory, recall, or other safety activity involving the repair or
replacement of motor vehicles or equipment, that the manufacturer
issued to, or made available to, more than one dealer, distributor,
lessor, lessee, another manufacturer, owner, or purchaser, in the
United States. Manufacturers are required to submit these documents
monthly. Section 579.5 does not require manufacturers to create these
documents. Instead, only copies of these documents must be submitted to
NHTSA, and manufacturers must index these communications and email them
to NHTSA within 5 working days after the end of the month in which they
were issued. Therefore, the burden hours are only those associated with
collecting the documents and submitting copies to NHTSA.
NHTSA estimates that it receives approximately 17,615 notices a
year. We estimate that it takes about 5 minutes to collect, index, and
submit each notice to NHTSA. Therefore, we estimate that it takes 1,468
hours for manufacturers to submit notices as required under Sec. 579.5
(17,615 notices x 5 minutes = 88,075 minutes or 1,468 hours) annually.
To calculate the labor cost associated with submitting Sec. 579.5
notices, bulletins, customer satisfaction campaigns, consumer
advisories, and other communications that are sent to more than one
dealer or owner, NHTSA looked at wage estimates for the type of
personnel submitting the documents. While some manufacturers employ
clerical staff to collect and submit the documents, others use
technical computer support staff to complete the task. Because we do
not know what percent of the work is completed by clerical or technical
computer support staff, NHTSA estimates the total labor costs
associated with these burden hours by looking at the average wage for
the higher-paid technical computer support staff. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) estimates that the average hourly wage for Computer
Support Specialists (BLS Occupation code 15-1230) in the Motor Vehicle
Manufacturing Industry is $37.62.\13\ The Bureau of Labor Statistics
estimated that private industry workers' wages represented 70.4 percent
of employer costs for employee compensation in December 2023 (ECEC
adjustment).\14\ Based on the BLS average hourly wage and ECEC
adjustment factor, NHTSA estimates the hourly labor costs to be $53.44
for Computer Support Specialists ($37.62 / 0.704 = $53.44). The
incremental labor cost per submission is estimated to be $4.45 ($53.44
per hour x 5 minutes). NHTSA estimates the total labor cost associated
with the 1,468 burden hours for Sec. 579.5 submissions to be $78,387
($4.45 x 17,615 submissions). Table 1 provides a summary of the burden
estimates using the average annual submission count for monthly reports
submitted pursuant to Sec. 579.5 and the estimated burden hours and
labor costs associated with those submissions. The average number of
annual submissions under Sec. 579.5 decreased by approximately 29
percent from the currently approved information collection, dropping
from 24,884 to 17,615 manufacturer communication submissions. The
incremental cost per submission rose from $3.73 to $4.45, a 19 percent
increase. The annual burden hours dropped from 2,074 to 1,468, matching
the 29 percent drop in submissions. The annual labor costs dropped from
$92,817 to $78,387, a 16 percent decrease with the reduction in
submissions partially offset by the increased labor cost per
submission.
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\13\ May 2023 National Industry-Specific Wage Estimates--Motor
Vehicle Manufacturing, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer
Support Analyst (Code 15-1230), $37.62, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/naics4_336100.htm#15-0000">https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/naics4_336100.htm#15-0000</a>, divided by 70.4 percent for
total employer costs for employee compensation, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf</a>. Last Accessed August 12,
2024.
\14\ March 2024 News Release--Employer Costs for Employee
Compensation--December 2023, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last
Accessed August 12, 2024.
Table 1--Annual Burden Estimate for Sec. 579.5 Submissions
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Average annual Estimated burden
Sec. 579.5 per submission Average hourly Labor cost per Total annual Total annual labor costs
submissions (minutes) labor cost submission burden hours
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17,615 5 $53.44 $4.45 1,468 $78,386.75 or $78,387.
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[[Page 9659]]
Requirements Under Part 579, Subpart B (Foreign Reporting)
The second component of this information collection request covers
the requirements found in part 579 subpart B, ``Reporting of Safety
Recalls and Other Safety Campaigns in Foreign Countries.'' Pursuant to
Sec. 579.11, whenever a manufacturer determines to conduct a safety
recall or other safety campaign in a foreign country, or whenever a
foreign government has determined that a safety recall or other safety
campaign must be conducted, covering a motor vehicle, item of motor
vehicle equipment, or tire that is identical or substantially similar
to a vehicle, item of equipment, or tire sold or offered for sale in
the United States, the manufacturer must report to NHTSA not later than
5 working days after the manufacturer makes such determination or
receives written notification of the foreign government's
determination. Section 579.11(e) also requires each manufacturer of
motor vehicles to submit, not later than November 1 of each year, a
document that identifies foreign products and their domestic
counterparts.
To provide the information required for foreign safety campaigns,
manufacturers must (1) determine whether vehicles or equipment that are
covered by a foreign safety recall or other safety campaign are
identical or substantially similar to vehicles or equipment sold in the
United States, (2) prepare and submit reports of these campaigns to the
agency, and (3) where a determination or notice has been made in a
language other than English, translate the determination or notice into
English before transmitting it to the agency.
NHTSA estimates that there is no burden associated with determining
whether an individual safety recall covers a foreign motor vehicle or
item of motor vehicle equipment that is identical or substantially
similar to those sold in the United States because manufacturers can
simply consult the list that they are required to submit each year.
Therefore, the only burden associated with determining whether a
foreign safety recall or other safety campaign is required to be
reported to NHTSA is the burden associated with creating the annual
list. NHTSA continues to estimate that it takes approximately 9 hours
per manufacturer to develop and submit the list. The 9 hours are
comprised of 8 attorney hours and 1 hour for IT work. NHTSA receives
these lists from 99 manufacturers, on average, resulting in 891 burden
hours (99 vehicle manufacturers x 8 hours for attorney support = 792
hours) + (99 vehicle manufacturers x 1 hour for IT support = 99 hours).
NHTSA estimates that preparing and submitting each foreign defect
report (foreign recall campaign) requires 1 hour of clerical staff and
that translation of determinations into English requires 2 hours of
technical staff (note: This assumes that all foreign campaign reports
require translation, which is unlikely). Between 2021 and 2023 NHTSA
received a yearly average of 262 foreign campaign reports. NHTSA
estimates that in each of the next three years, NHTSA will receive, on
average, 262 foreign recall reports. NHTSA estimates that each report
will take 3 hours (1 hour to prepare by a clerical employee and 2 hours
for translation). Therefore, NHTSA estimates that the burden hours
associated with submitting these reports will be 786 hours (3 hours per
report x 262 reports).
Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total annual burden hours for
reporting foreign campaigns and substantially similar vehicles is 1,677
hours (891 hours for submitting annual lists + 786 hours for submitting
foreign recall and safety campaign reports). This is an increase of 87
burden hours from our previous estimate (1,677 hours for the current
estimate -1,590 hours for the previous estimate). Table 2 provides a
summary of the estimated burden hours for part 579 subpart B
submissions.
Table 2--Annual Burden Hour Estimates for Foreign Reporting
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual number of Total annual
Submission type submissions Burden hours per report burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreign Campaign Report..................... 262 1 hour clerical + 2 hours 786
translation = 3 hours.
Annual List................................. 99 8 hours attorney + 1 hour IT = 891
9 hours.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Total................................... ................ .............................. 1,677
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To calculate the labor cost associated with part 579 foreign
reporting submissions, NHTSA looked at wage estimates for the type of
personnel submitting the documents. As stated above, NHTSA estimates
that submitting annual lists under Sec. 579.11(e) will involve 8 hours
of attorney time and 1 hour of IT work. The average hourly wage for
Lawyers (BLS Occupation code 23-1000) in the Motor Vehicle
Manufacturing Industry is $112.21.\15\ After applying the 70.4 percent
ECEC adjustment, NHTSA estimates the hourly labor costs for
manufacturers to be $159.39 for Lawyers. The ECEC adjusted hourly cost
for Computer Support Specialists (BLS Occupation code 15-1230) in the
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry is $53.44 as reviewed in the
discussion of table 1 data in the subpart A reporting burden analysis.
NHTSA estimates the incremental labor cost associated with submitting
each annual list to be $1,328.56 or $1,329 ($159.39 per hour x 8
attorney hours + $53.44 per hour x 1 IT hour), resulting in an
estimated annual labor cost of $131,527 for submitting all 99 annual
lists each year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ May 2023 National Industry-Specific Wage Estimates,--Motor
Vehicle Manufacturing, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Lawyers
(Code 23-1011), $112.21, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/naics4_336100.htm#23-0000">https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/naics4_336100.htm#23-0000</a>, divided by 70.4 percent for total
employer costs for employee compensation, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf</a>. Last Accessed August 12,
2024.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHTSA estimates that submitting each foreign recall or safety
campaign report involves 1 hour of clerical work and 2 hours of
translation work. The average hourly wage for Office Clerks (BLS
Occupation code 43-9061) in the Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry is
$26.65 \16\ and the average hourly wage for Interpreters and
Translators (BLS Occupation code 27-3091) is $30.33.\17\ Therefore,
NHTSA estimates the ECEC adjusted hourly labor costs to be $37.86
[[Page 9660]]
for Office Clerks and $43.08 for Interpreters and Translators. NHTSA
estimates the total labor cost associated with submitting one foreign
recall or safety campaign report to be $124.02 or $124 ($37.86 per hour
x 1 Clerical hour + $43.08 per hour x 2 Translator hours) and
$32,493.24 or $32,493 for all 262 foreign recall or safety campaign
reports NHTSA estimates will be submitted annually.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ May 2023 National Industry-Specific Wage Estimates--Motor
Vehicle Manufacturing, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office
Clerks (Code 43-9061), $26.65, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/naics4_336100.htm#43-0000">https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/naics4_336100.htm#43-0000</a>, divided by 70.4 percent for total
employer costs for employee compensation, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf</a>. Last Accessed August 12,
2024.
\17\ May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage
Estimates United States, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Interpreters and Translators (Code 27-3091), $30.33, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes273091.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes273091.htm</a>, divided by 70.4 percent for
total employer costs for employee compensation, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf</a>. Last Accessed August 12,
2024.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 3 provides a summary of the labor costs associated with the
foreign reporting requirements in part 579, subpart B. NHTSA estimates
that the total labor costs associated with the annual list requirement
and the requirement to report foreign recalls and safety campaigns are
$164,020.68 or $164,021 ($131,527.44 + $32,493.24).
Table 3--Annual Labor Cost Estimates for Foreign Reporting
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hours per Hourly Labor cost per Number of
Submission type and labor category submission labor cost submission submissions Total annual labor cost
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual List-Lawyer........................... 8 $159.39 $1,275.12 99 $126,236.88.
Annual List-Computer Specialist.............. 1 53.44 53.44 99 $5,290.56.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals for Annual List................... 9 ........... 1,328.56 ........... $131,527.44.
Foreign Campaign Report-Clerical............. 1 37.86 37.86 262 $9,919.32.
Foreign Campaign Report-Translator........... 2 43.08 86.16 262 $22,573.92.
Totals for Foreign Campaign Report....... 3 ........... 124.02 ........... $32,493.24
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Labor Costs for Part 579 Subpart B Requirements....................................... $164,020.68 or $164,021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Requirements Under Part 579, Subpart C, Reporting of Early Warning
Information
The third component of this information collection covers the
requirements found in part 579 subpart C, ``Reporting of Early Warning
Information.'' Besides production information, there are five major
categories requiring reporting of incidents or claims in subpart C,
with the specific requirements and applicability of those categories
varying by vehicle and equipment type and, in some circumstances,
manufacturer volume. Sections 579.21 through 27 require manufacturers
to submit the following:
(1) Production information; (2) reports on incidents involving
death or injury in the United States that are identified in claims or
notices alleging that the death or injury was caused by a possible
defect; (3) reports on incidents identified in a claim against a
manufacturer that involves one or more deaths in a foreign country and
involve a vehicle or item of equipment that is identical or
substantially similar to a vehicle or item of equipment that is offered
for sale in the United States; (4) separate reports on the number of
property damage claims, consumer complaints, warranty claims, and field
reports that involve a specified system or event; (5) copies of field
reports; and, for manufacturers of tires, (6) a list of common green
tires (applicable to only tire manufacturers). Section 579.28(l) allows
NHTSA to request additional information to help identify a defect
related to motor vehicle safety. The regulation specifies the time
frame for reporting for each category. Foreign recalls of substantially
similar vehicles and manufacturer communications are required to be
submitted monthly, substantially similar vehicle listings are required
annually, and all other report types are required to be submitted every
quarter.
Quarterly Reporting
Manufacturers are required to report specific information to NHTSA
every quarter. Manufacturers are required to submit production
information,\18\ non-dealer field reports, aggregate submissions, and
death and injury submissions every quarter. Estimates of the burden
hours and reporting costs are based on:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\18\ Low volume and equipment manufacturers are not required to
submit production information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
<bullet> The number of manufacturers reporting;
<bullet> The frequency of required reports;
<bullet> The number of hours required per report; and
<bullet> The cost of personnel to report.
The number of hours for reporting ranges from 1 hour for trailer,
child restraint, low volume vehicle, and equipment manufacturers to 8
hours for light vehicle manufacturers (table 4). Quarterly reporting
burden hours are calculated by multiplying hours used to report for a
given category by the number of manufacturers for the category and by
the four times per-year quarterly reporting. Using these methods and
the average number of manufacturers who report annually, we estimate
the annual burden hours for quarterly reporting of production
information at 3,664 hours as detailed below in table 4.
NHTSA assumes that the hourly wage rate for each quarterly report
is split evenly between technical and clerical personnel and a weighted
hourly rate is developed from this assumption. Therefore, using the BLS
total hourly compensation rates discussed above of $53.44 for a
Computer Support Specialist and $37.86 for an Office Clerk, the
weighted hourly rate is $45.65 (Technical Mean Hourly Wage of $53.44 x
0.5 + Clerical Mean Hourly Wage of $37.86 x 0.5). The estimated
reporting costs are calculated as follows:
(M x T<INF>p</INF> x $45.65) = Quarterly cost of reporting x 4 = Annual
cost of reporting *
*M = Manufacturers reporting data in the category; T<INF>p</INF> =
Reporting time for the category; $45.65 = Reporting labor cost
compensation rate; 4 = Quarterly reports per year
For example, the estimated annual reporting cost for light vehicles
is $59,892.80 (41 manufacturers x 8 hours x $45.65 compensation rate x
4 quarters), and the total annual labor costs associated with quarterly
reporting are estimated to be $167,262. Table 4 includes the estimated
burden hours and reporting costs for production information, non-dealer
field reports, aggregate submissions, and death and injury submissions,
as well as the quarterly and annual labor costs associated with
reporting.
[[Page 9661]]
Table 4--Estimated Manufacturer Annual Burden Hours and Labor Costs for Quarterly Reporting
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quarterly
Average number hours to Blended Quarterly labor Annual burden
Vehicle/equipment category of report per hourly costs per hours for Annual labor costs
manufacturers manufacturer comp. rate manufacturer reporting
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light Vehicles................... 41 8 $45.65 $365.20 1,312 $59,892.80.
Bus, Emergency, and Medium-Heavy 54 5 45.65 228.25 1,080 $49,302.00.
Vehicles.
Motorcycles...................... 16 2 45.65 91.30 128 $5,843.20.
Trailers......................... 91 1 45.65 45.65 364 $16,616.60.
Child Restraints................. 35 1 45.65 45.65 140 $6,391.00.
Tires............................ 31 5 45.65 228.25 620 $28,303.00.
Low Volume & Equipment \19\...... 5 1 45.65 45.65 20 $913.00.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals....................... 273 .............. ........... ............... 3,664 $167,261.60 or $167,262.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early Warning Reporting Field Data Submissions
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\19\ Reporting requirements for low volume vehicle and equipment
manufacturers are limited to reporting fatal incidents in the United
States and foreign countries and responding to inquiries about those
incidents, see Sec. 579.27 and Sec. 579.28(l). Table 4
manufacturer counts are calculated by dividing the number of total
manufacturer reporting quarters (1 manufacturer reporting in 1
quarter = 1 manufacturer reporting quarter) by 4 quarters to show
the number of equivalent full manufacturer reporting years (4
manufacturer reporting quarters).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 5 provides an average annual submission count for each
category submitted per the requirements of 49 CFR part 579, subpart C:
reports on incidents identified in claims or notices involving death or
injury in the United States; reports on incidents involving one or more
deaths in a foreign country identified in claims involving a vehicle or
item of equipment that is identical or substantially similar to a
vehicle or item of equipment that is offered for sale in the United
States; separate reports on the number of property damage claims,
consumer complaints, warranty claims, and field reports that involve a
specified system or event; copies of field reports; and, for
manufacturers of tires; a list of common green tires; and additional
follow-up information per 579.28(l) related to injury and fatality
claims. Each reporting category has specific requirements and types of
reports that need to be submitted and we state ``N/A'' where there is
no requirement for that reporting category.
Table 5--Annual Average of EWR Submissions by Manufacturers
[2021--2023]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bus,
emergency, Low volume
Light heavy, & Trailers Child Tires vehicles & Annual
Category of claims vehicles medium Motorcycles Sec. restraints Sec. equipment average
Sec. vehicles Sec. 579.24 Sec. 579.26 Sec. totals
579.21 Sec. 579.23 579.25 579.27
579.22
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incidents Involving Injury or Fatality in U.S.......... 6,338 223 109 44 133 35 10 6,892
Incidents Involving Fatality in Foreign Country........ 38 0 2 1 0 0 0 41
Reports on Number of Claims Involving Specific Systems 7,985 831 23 55 NA 298 NA 9,192
or Event..............................................
Mfr. Field Reports..................................... 83,360 18,650 1,456 81 2,859 NA NA 106,406
Common Green Tire Reporting............................ NA NA NA NA NA 99 NA 99
Average Number of Follow-Up Sequences per 579.28(l).... 1,425 91 67 14 64 44 14 1,719
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals............................................. 99,146 19.795 1,657 195 3,056 476 24 124,349
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The submission totals summarized in Table 5 represent a 10 percent
increase from the currently approved information collection with two
reporting categories responsible for all of the increase. Submission
totals increased for manufacturer field reports and follow-up sequence
inquiries conducted per Sec. 579.28(l) but saw a net decrease of 34
percent for the other four categories combined. Average annual injury
and fatality claims in the United States dropped from 11,887 to 6,892
claims per year, a 42 percent decrease; foreign death claims dropped
from 330 to 41 per year, an 88 percent decrease; claims involving
specific systems or events dropped from 12,212 to 9,192, a 25 percent
decrease; and common green tire reports dropped from 112 to 99 per
year, a 12 percent decrease. Manufacturer field reports, which
accounted for the majority of submissions in both the current and prior
approved information collection requests, rose from 88,409 to 106,406
per year, a 20 percent increase.\20\ Death and injury follow-up
sequence inquiries conducted per Sec. 579.28(l) saw a much larger
change, rising from 190 to 1,719 average incident inquiries per year,
an increase of 805 percent. The net effect of these changes was an
increase from 113,140 to 124,349 submissions per year on average.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\20\ Manufacturer field reports rose from 78 percent of EWR
submissions in the currently approved information collection to 86
percent of submissions in the current information collection
request.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The agency estimates that an average of 5 minutes is required for a
manufacturer to process each report, except for foreign death claims
and follow-up responses. We estimate foreign death claims and follow-up
responses per Sec. 579.28(l) require an average of 15 minutes to
process. Multiplying the total average number of minutes by the number
of submissions NHTSA receives in each reporting category yields the
burden hour estimates found below in Table 6. Our previous estimates of
EWR associated submission burden hours totaled 9,515 hours, and we now
update that total to 10,655 burden hours, a 12 percent
[[Page 9662]]
increase, associated with the above-noted claim categories.
Table 6--Annual Manufacturer Burden Hour Estimates for EWR Submissions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual average Average time to
Category of claims of EWR process each Estimated annual
Submissions report burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incidents Involving Injury or Fatality in U.S............ 6,892 5 574
Incidents Involving Fatality in Foreign Country.......... 41 15 10
Reports on Number of Claims Involving Specific System or 9,192 5 766
Event...................................................
Mfr. Field Reports....................................... 106,406 5 8,867
Common Green Tire Reporting.............................. 99 5 8
Average Number of Follow-Up Sequences per 579.28(l)...... 1,719 15 430
------------------------------------------------------
Totals............................................... 124,349 ................ 10,655
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have also calculated hourly labor costs for each claim type with
an incremental reporting burden based on time to process and labor
costs for employee positions required for processing each submission.
Table 7 shows the employee positions required for processing
submissions for each claim type, the time required for each position to
process each submission, and the weighted hourly rates for each claim
type. The employee positions analyzed in table 7 include three that
have been introduced in prior sections of this information collection
request: Lawyers (BLS Occupation code 23-1000), Computer Support
Specialists (BLS Occupation code 15-1230), and Office Clerks (BLS
Occupation code 43-9061).\21\ Cost analysis for Computer Support
Specialists was provided in the discussion of table 1 data for subpart
A labor costs analysis and analyses for Lawyers and Office Clerks were
provided in the discussion of table 3 data for subpart B labor cost
burden analysis. Labor cost analysis for Engineers (BLS Occupation code
17-2000) is introduced in table 7. The average hourly wage for
Engineers in the Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry is $52.56.\22\
After applying the 70.4 percent ECEC adjustment, NHTSA estimates the
hourly labor costs for manufacturers to be $74.66 for Engineers. Table
7 shows the weighted hourly rates for each submission claim type.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\21\ Table 7 references Computer Support Specialists as
``Technical'' and Office Clerks as ``Clerical''.
\22\ May 2023 National Industry-Specific Wage Estimates--Motor
Vehicle Manufacturing, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Engineers
(Code 17-2000), $52.56, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/naics4_336100.htm#17-0000">https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/naics4_336100.htm#17-0000</a>, divided by 70.4 percent for total
employer costs for employee compensation, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf</a>. Last Accessed August 12,
2024.
Table 7--Estimated Manufacturer Time Allocation by Claim Type and Weighted Hourly Rate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated time (in minutes) to review a claim
------------------------------------------------------------ Weighted
Claim type Lawyer Engineer Technical Clerical hourly
(rate: (rate: (rate: (rate: Total time rate
$159.39) $74.66) $53.44) $37.86)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incidents Involving Injury or Fatality 3 0 0 2 5 $110.78
in U.S.................................
Incidents Involving Fatality in Foreign 3 10 0 2 15 86.70
Country................................
Reports on Number of Claims Involving 0 0 3 2 5 47.21
Specific System or Event...............
Mfr. Field Reports...................... 0 0 3 2 5 47.21
Common Green Tire Reporting............. 0 0 0 5 5 37.86
Average Number of Follow-Up Sequences 3 10 0 2 15 86.70
per 579.28(l)..........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These rates are calculated by summing the weighted employer costs
for each employee position required to review each submission claim
type using the formula:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN14FE25.001
The annual labor costs for submissions of claims data are shown in
table 8. Labor Cost per Submission is the product of the Average Time
to Process Each Report and the Weight Hourly Rate calculated in table
7. Annual labor cost is the product of the labor cost per submission
and the average annual submissions.
[[Page 9663]]
Table 8--Estimated EWR Annual Labor Costs by Category
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual average Average time Estimated labor
Category of claims of EWR to process Weighted cost per Estimated annual labor cost
submissions each report hourly rate submission
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incidents Involving Injury or Fatality in 6,892 5 $110.78 $9.23 $63,624.65.
U.S.
Incidents Involving Fatality in Foreign 41 15 86.70 21.68 $888.68.
Country.
Reports on Number of Claims Involving 9,192 5 47.21 3.93 $36,162.86.
Specific System or Event.
Mfr. Field Reports....................... 106,406 5 47.21 3.93 $418,618.94.
Common Green Tire Reporting.............. 99 5 37.86 3.16 $312.35
Average Number of Follow-Up Sequences per 1,719 15 86.70 21.68 $37,259.33.
579.28(l).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals............................... 124,349 .............. ........... ............... $556,866.81 or $556,867.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The total annual manufacturer burden hours for subpart C reporting
of EWR data (Sec. Sec. 579.21 through 28) is calculated by summing the
burden hour estimates for quarterly reporting in table 4 (3,664 hours)
and submission reporting in table 6 (10,655 hours). This produces an
EWR annual burden hour estimate of 14,319 hours. The total annual labor
cost for subpart C reporting is calculated by summing the labor cost
estimates in table 4 ($167,261.60) and table 8 ($556,866.81), producing
a total annual labor cost estimate for subpart C reporting of
$724,128.41 or $724,128.
Computer Maintenance Burden
In addition to the burden associated with submitting documents
under each subpart of part 579, NHTSA also estimates that manufacturers
will incur computer maintenance burden hours associated with the
information collection requirements. The estimated manufacturer burden
hours associated with aggregate data submissions for consumer
complaints, warranty claims, and dealer field reports are included in
reporting and computer maintenance hours. The burden hours for computer
maintenance are calculated by multiplying the hours of computer use
(for a given category) by the number of manufacturers reporting in a
category. NHTSA estimates that light vehicle manufacturers will spend
approximately 347 hours per year on computer maintenance and that other
vehicle manufacturers will spend about 22 percent as much time as light
vehicle manufacturers on computer maintenance. Therefore, NHTSA
estimates that bus, emergency, and medium-heavy truck; motorcycle; and
trailer manufacturers will each spend approximately 86.5 hours on
computer maintenance each year. NHTSA estimates that child restraint
and tire manufacturers will also spend 86.5 hours on computer
maintenance per year. Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total burden for
computer maintenance to be 33,863 hours per year (based on there being
an estimated 41 light vehicle manufacturers; 54 bus, emergency, and
medium-heavy vehicle manufacturers; 16 motorcycle manufacturers; 91
trailer manufacturers; 35 child restraint manufacturers; and 31 tire
manufacturers). This burden estimation is an update from the 60-day
notice due to corrections to the number of bus, emergency, and medium-
heavy vehicle manufacturers reporting to NHTSA.
To calculate the labor cost associated with computer maintenance
hours, NHTSA looked at wage estimates for the type of personnel
submitting the documents. The ECEC adjusted average hourly wage for
Computer Support Specialists (BLS Occupation code 15-1230) in the Motor
Vehicle Manufacturing Industry is $53.44 as reviewed in the discussion
of table 1 data in the subpart A reporting burden analysis. For the
estimated total of 33,863 annual computer maintenance burden hours,
NHTSA estimates the associated labor costs will be approximately
$1,809,612 annually. Table 9 shows the annual estimated burden hours
for computer maintenance by vehicle/equipment category and the
estimated labor costs associated with those burden hours.
Table 9--Estimated Manufacturer Annual Burden Hours for Computer Maintenance for Reporting
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hours for
Average number computer Average Annual labor
Vehicle/equipment category of maintenance hourly cost per Total annual Total annual labor costs
manufacturers per labor cost manufacturer burden hours
manufacturer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light Vehicles.................... 41 347 $53.44 $18,543.68 14,227 $760,290.88
Bus, Emergency, and Medium-Heavy 54 86.5 53.44 4,622.56 4,671 $249,618.24.
Vehicles.
Motorcycles....................... 16 86.5 53.44 4,622.56 1,384 $73,960.96.
Trailers.......................... 91 86.5 53.44 4,622.56 7,872 $420,652.96.
Child Restraints.................. 35 86.5 53.44 4,622.56 3,028 $161,789.60.
Tires............................. 31 86.5 53.44 4,622.56 2,682 $143,299.36.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals........................ .............. .............. ........... .............. 33,863 $1,809,612.00 or $1,809,612.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Annual Burden Hours and Labor Costs Summary
Based on the foregoing, we estimate the burden hours for the
industry to comply with the current part 579 reporting requirements
(EWR requirements, foreign campaign requirements, and part 579.5
requirements) to be 51,327 hours per year. This a change from the 60-
day notice estimates of 54,088 annual burden hours due to updates of
estimation from the early warning reports and computer maintenance
tables resulting from corrections in the number of bus, emergency, and
medium-heavy vehicle manufacturers reporting each year. The total
annual burden hours, labor costs, and changes from for this information
collection consisting of manufacturer communications under Sec. 579.5
(subpart A), foreign reporting (subpart B), EWR submissions and
reporting (subpart C), and computer maintenance are outlined in table
10 below.
[[Page 9664]]
Table 10--Total Manufacturer Annual Burden Hours and Labor Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently approved Pending part 579 Changes in burden hours
part 579 information information collection and labor costs
collection request request -------------------------
Reporting type ------------------------------------------------
Annual Annual Annual Annual Annual Annual labor
burden labor burden labor burden costs
hours costs hours costs hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subpart A: Manufacturer Communications 2,074 $92,817 1,468 $78,387 * (606) * ($14,430)
Sec. 579.5 (Table 1)...............
Subpart B: Foreign Reporting (Tables 2 1,590 139,464 1,677 164,021 87 24,557
& 3).................................
Subpart C: EWR Submissions and 14,731 621,260 14,319 724,128 * (412) 102,868
Quarterly Reporting (Tables 4 & \6/
8\)..................................
Computer Maintenance (Table 9)........ 35,415 1,585,861 33,863 1,809,612 * (1,552) 223,751.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total............................. 53,810 2,439,402 51,327 2,776,148 * (2,483) 336,746
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Reduction from currently approved ICR.
The burden estimates show an overall decrease in annual burden
hours of 2,483 hours and an increase in annual labor costs of $336,746
from the part 579 information collection request approved in April
2022. These represent a decrease of 4.6 percent in burden hours and an
increase of 13.8 percent in labor costs. The changes in annual burden
hours are due to changes in the number of submissions in tables 1, 2,
and 6 and changes in the number of manufacturers reporting in each
category in tables 4 and 9. Most of the decrease resulted from
corrections in the number of manufacturers reporting subpart C
information in the bus, emergency, and medium and heavy vehicle
categories. The changes in annual labor costs are also affected by
reductions in manufacturer counts and burden hours but are offset by
increases in labor costs for the manufacturer employee positions
required for reporting part 579 information. The wage estimates have
been adjusted to reflect the latest available rates from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: NHTSA estimates the collection
requires no additional costs to the respondents beyond the labor costs
associated with the burden hours to collect and submit the reports to
NHTSA and the labor hours and associated labor costs for computer
maintenance.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspects of
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Department, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate
of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) 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.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.
Eileen Sullivan,
Associate Administrator, Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2025-02615 Filed 2-13-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 14, 2025.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.