Raise Passenger Minimum Weight Limit on Passenger Carrying Vehicles
| Entry Date | September 13, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Issue Number | 13-038-PCC |
| Name | Luke Loy |
| Agency | US DOT/FMCSA |
| Address | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SEWashington, DC, 20590United StatesMap It (opens in a new tab) |
| Phone | 202-366-0676 |
| [email protected] | |
| Committee | Passenger Carrier Committee |
| Status | Closed |
| Summary of Issue | CVSA to petition NHTSA to raise the 150 lb per passenger minimum to 200 lbs plus 25-35 lbs luggage, or other suitable number as discussed and agreed upon by the voting members of the Passenger Carrier Committee. The NHTSA regulation at 49 CFR 567.4 specifies that the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating “GVWR” followed by the appropriate value in pounds, which shall not be less than the sum of the unloaded vehicle weight, rated cargo load, and 150 pounds times the number of the vehicle's designated seating positions. However, for school buses the minimum occupant weight allowance shall be 120 pounds per passenger and 150 pounds for the driver. |
| Justification or Need | It will take NHTSA a number of years to enact this rulemaking change, so the sooner action is taken to petition NHTSA the better. This will force the manufacturers to engineer the vehicles such that we see fewer violations of tire load carrying capacity. |
| Request for Action | Petition NHTSA to increase minimum passenger weight from 150 lbs to something more realistic ...like 200 lbs. |