Interpretation ID: nht70-2.8

DATE: 05/05/70

FROM: AUTHOR UNAVAILABLE; R. A. Diaz; NHTSA

TO: D. F. Clausen

TITLE: FMVSS INTERPRETATION

TEXT: Your postcard of March 9, 1970, to the Chicago Regional Office of the Interstate Commerce Commission has been forwarded to this office by Mr. F. B. Farrell, Regional Administrator for Region 4, Federal Highway Administration. In your card, you request a copy of I.C.C. requirements for a camping trailer you intend to build.

The I.C.C. regulations concerning equipment for trailers are now administered by the Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation. These regulations apply only to vehicles used in interstate commerce for commercial purposes. If you intend to build a camping trailer for your personal use, these regulations would not be applicable to it. Should this not be the case, however, I am enclosing a copy of these requirements for your information.

Federal motor vehicle safety standards, which are issued by the National Highway Safety Bureau pursuant to National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, do apply to manufacturers of camping trailers which will be towed on public highways. At present, the only Federal standard applicable to trailers is Standard No. 108, "Lamps Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment", and your trailer must conform to its requirements. I enclose a copy of this standard as amended, and a copy of the above mentioned Act.

I suggest you also consult state and local authorities for possible other requirements which they may impose on trailers. If I may be of further assistance, please contact me.

ENCLOSURES