Action
Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.
Summary
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requests public comment on an application for exemption from the International Institute of Towing and Recovery (IITR) (on behalf of the Towing and Recovery Association of America (TRAA) and the towing and recovery industry) to allow commercial motor vehicle operators to secure automobiles, light trucks, and vans using a total of four tiedowns--two fixed and two adjustable--instead of using a minimum of two tiedowns, both of which need to be adjustable. While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) require each tiedown, or its associated connectors or attachment mechanisms, to be adjustable, IITR believes that the use of four tiedowns instead of the two that are minimally required by the FMCSRs to secure automobiles, light trucks, and vans will maintain a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety achieved without the exemption even though two of the four tiedowns are not adjustable. IITR is requesting the temporary exemption in advance of petitioning FMCSA to conduct a rulemaking to amend 49 CFR 393.112.