The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) has "conveyed its thoughts" about the federal government's plans to develop a fuel efficiency rating system for consumer tires to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an RMA spokesperson told www.moderntiredealer.com today.
"We've had a number of conversations with NHTSA," said the RMA's Dan Zielinski, "and we've showed information to NHTSA. They're writing a proposed rule; we expect it will be published in the Federal Register in April or May. Once that happens, there will be a comment period, where they'll gather (feedback).
"We're waiting for the proposed rule," he continued. "When it's out, we'll review it. Hopefully, what they proposed will be to our liking." If not, "we'll try to persuade the agency to look at it a different way."
The format of the proposed rating system "is up in the air."
Once the rule has been finalized, "NHTSA will do compliance testing... to make sure the tire companies are representing their products accurately."
