On November 13, 2023 the NHTSA published in the Federal Register (Vol. 88 No. 217; Docket No. NHTSA-2023-0043) a Final Rule (FR) amending Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 227; Bus Rollover Structural Integrity. This Standard is intended to enhance rollover structural integrity and reduce the likelihood of ejection from over-the-road buses (motorcoaches), and other buses with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) greater than 11,793 kilograms (kg) or 26,000 pounds (lb).
The new FR partially grants Petitions for Reconsideration of a December 29, 2021 FR that established Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 227. This FR adjusts the definition of "transit bus" and revises the maximum allowable weight of objects intruding into the survival space during the rollover test. Other requests in the petitions are denied by the new FR, including petitions to expand the applicability of the Standard to other bus types and extend the compliance date by two years. The effective date and the compliance date for the revised requirements is December 30, 2024. Optional early compliance is permitted. Petitions for Reconsideration of this Final Rule must be received by December 28, 2023.
This Final Rule is available on InterRegs.NET for our US - Federal subscribers and is also available at www.selectregs.com.