In the May/June 2016 issue of Tracks, NATM discussed NHTSA enforcement of 49 CFR 579.5 and reported that a first round of notices were sent to a number of trailer manufacturers regarding reporting requirements of 49 CFR 579.5 which centers on external communications, including technical service bulletins.
It has been made clear that NHTSA intends to vigorously pursue violators and impose penalties for non-compliance. Effective May 2, 2016, those penalties were increased from $7,000 per violation to $21,000 per violation and overall maximum raises from $35 million to $105 million. Penalties apply to all motor vehicle manufacturers and by statute, trailer manufacturers are considered motor vehicle manufacturers.
Following the first round of notices that went out, NATM was advised that some of the letters were returned due to bad addresses. After checking to verify member information on the NHTSA Manufacturer’s Information Database (MID), there appears to be old, and sometimes missing, information.
NATM encourages all members to go to the NHTSA website at the links listed below to verify, and if necessary, update their manufacturer information. This issue is so important that NATM will now be keeping copies of manufacturer information found in the Manufacturer's Information Database (MID) as proof for the Compliance Verification Program. It is important to note that any changes are said to take 4-8 weeks to update.
Updating Information with NHTSA Manufacturer’s Information Database (MID) Part 566 can be accessed at vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/mid. Type in your company name or World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) and check the box for WMI at the bottom of the page and the boxes for Part 565 and Part 566 at the top right. If your information is not up-to-date, you will see this message:
The exclamation mark (!) indicates that this WMI is currently not registered with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through 49 CFR 565 as on-road vehicles. For recently approved submittals allow four to eight business weeks for processing of 565 submittal. If after this period you believe the exclamation mark (!) is still in error please contact NHTSA at manufacturerinfo@dot.gov for corrective steps.
Your information may be updated online at the NHTSA Manufacturer Portal: http://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrportal
Summary of Updating Your Data for NHTSA
Step by step instructions to update your company information with NHTSA:
Go to the NHTSA vPIC website: http://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Click on the vPIC button.
Select the WMI, Part 565 and Part 566 check boxes.
Enter your WMI or company name or both.
Verify all of your information.
If your company name comes up in the Part 565 search, click on your company name and verify that all of the information listed is correct.
If any of your information is absent or incorrect, resubmit.
Check back periodically, until you verify that the information has been accepted and updated.