Notice2026-18467
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standard
Primary source
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Published
September 10, 2026
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 document describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval for reinstatement, with modification, of the Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards (UTQGS) requirements under 49 CFR 575.104. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published on April 8, 2026 (91 FR 17828). No comments were received.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 174 (Thursday, September 10, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 174 (Thursday, September 10, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57683-57684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18467]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2026-1354]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for
Comment; Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standard
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a request for reinstatement
with modification of a previously approved information collection.
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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 document
describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek
OMB approval for reinstatement, with modification, of the Uniform Tire
Quality Grading Standards (UTQGS) requirements under 49 CFR 575.104. A
Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting
comments on the following information collection was published on April
8, 2026 (91 FR 17828). No comments were received.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 13, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection, including suggestions for reducing burden,
should be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget at
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. To find this particular information
collection, select ``Currently under Review--Open for Public Comment''
or use the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access
to background documents, contact Mr. Walter Lysenko
(<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ff889e938b9a8dd193868c9a919490bf9b908bd1989089"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cfb8aea3bbaabde1a3b6bcaaa1a4a08faba0bbe1a8a0b9">[email protected]</span></a>). Address: National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Lysenko's telephone number is
(202) 366-1810. 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: 49 CFR part 575.104; Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standard
(UTQGS).
OMB Control Number: 2127-0519.
Form Number(s): N/A.
Type of Request: Request for reinstatement with modification of a
previously approved information collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Length of Approval Requested: Three years from approval date.
Summary of the Collection of Information: Under 49 U.S.C. 30123(b)
and 49 CFR 575.104, tire manufacturers and tire brand name owners are
required to grade passenger car tire lines for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance and to provide this information to consumers and
to NHTSA. Respondents must:
1. Grade tires for treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance;
2. Mold the assigned grades into the tire sidewall;
3. Affix a paper tread label to new replacement tires that includes
the grades and an explanation of the grading system;
4. Provide prospective purchasers, at each point of sale, access to
grading information for each tire offered for sale;
5. Ensure that vehicle manufacturers include the applicable grade
information in the owner's manual for vehicles equipped with graded
tires; and
6. Submit grading information to NHTSA for public compilation and
dissemination.
NHTSA compiles grading information for all manufacturers' tire
lines and makes the information available to the public by publication
on NHTSA's website. The information collection ensures that consumers
can readily compare tire quality across brands and tire lines and
supports NHTSA's program administration and enforcement activities.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use: This
collection supports NHTSA's work to ensure consumers receive clear,
comparable information about tire performance. Mandatory requirements
such as sidewall labeling, tread labels, brochures, and periodic
reporting are
[[Page 57684]]
essential for ensuring that consumers have access to the information
needed to make well-informed tire purchase decisions. NHTSA uses the
submitted information to maintain public databases, ensure accuracy of
consumer disclosures, and perform compliance and enforcement
activities.
60-Day Notice: A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment
period soliciting public comments on the following information
collection was published on April 8, 2026 (91 FR 17828). No comments
were received.
Affected Public: Passenger car tire manufacturers and brand name
owners offering passenger car tires for sale in the United States.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Approximately 160 tire brand names
are subject to UTQGS requirements. However, due to industry
consolidation, manufacturers typically submit required information on
behalf of multiple brand names. NHTSA estimates that approximately 45
tire manufacturers serve as the actual respondents submitting
information annually.
Frequency: Intermittent. Sidewall molding and paper labeling:
Continuous/ongoing. Brochure preparation/updating: Annual. Annual
Reporting to NHTSA: Annual, with electronic submissions accepted.
Estimated Number of Responses: 45.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 69,888 hours.
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Burden activity Annual hours
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Affixing paper tread labels to tires.................... 52,778
Engraving tire molds (sidewall grading)................. 10,000
Preparing or updating brochures......................... 6,750
Compiling & Submitting information to NHTSA............. 360
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Total............................................... 69,888
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: Approximately $35.1 million.
NHTSA estimates total annual non-labor respondent costs of
approximately $35.1 million, primarily attributable to testing,
printing of paper tread labels, and printing of consumer information
brochures. The largest portion of the cost burden imposed by the UTQGS
program arises from the testing necessary to determine the grades that
should be assigned to the tires. The cost burden is broken into its
components as follows.
Annual Non-Labor Cost Components
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Cost component Annual cost
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Treadwear testing....................................... $2,520,000
Traction testing........................................ 157,500
Temperature testing..................................... 778,610
Printing paper tread labels............................. 28,500,000
Printing brochures...................................... 3,163,500
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Total............................................... 35,120,000
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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 agency, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of
the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (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 appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.
Shashi Kuppa,
Acting Associate Administrator, Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2026-18467 Filed 9-9-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
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