{"abstract":"NHTSA seeks comment on a draft policy statement. The policy is part of the Department of Transportation's efforts to ensure that the interests of safety are protected as the United States takes the steps necessary to comply with its obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement regarding the access of Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to the United States. The policy statement is being issued pursuant to the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, codified at 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301, which provides for the issuance of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSSs), requires all vehicles imported into the United States or introduced into interstate commerce to have been manufactured in compliance with those standards, and requires that a label bearing a statement certifying that compliance be attached to each vehicle. These requirements apply to new motor vehicles that vehicle manufacturers produce for sale in the United States. New or used motor vehicles imported into the United States that were not originally manufactured in compliance with all applicable FMVSSs must also be certified after they have been brought into compliance with those standards. NHTSA has long interpreted \"import\" to include bringing a commercial motor vehicle into the United States for the purpose of transporting cargo or passengers. The policy statement addresses commercial motor vehicles that were not originally manufactured for sale in the United States, and thus were not required at the time of manufacture to be certified as complying with the FMVSSs, but are subsequently sought to be imported into the United States. The statement provides that a vehicle manufacturer may, if it has sufficient basis for doing so, retroactively apply a label to a commercial motor vehicle certifying that the vehicle complied with all applicable FMVSSs in effect at the time it was originally manufactured. The purpose of this policy statement is to facilitate compliance by motor carriers domiciled in other countries, primarily those in Mexico and Canada, with the above statute and a companion notice of proposed rulemaking by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). In its document, FMCSA will be proposing to promote the effective enforcement of that statute by requiring that all commercial motor vehicles operating in the United States have labels certifying their compliance with the FMVSSs in effect when they were built. NHTSA has been advised that there are many commercial motor vehicles used by motor carriers in Mexico and Canada that were manufactured in accordance with the FMVSSs, but were not certified as complying with those standards because the vehicles were manufactured for sale in Canada or Mexico. In two separate documents, NHTSA will be proposing recordkeeping requirements for foreign manufacturers that retroactively certify vehicles, and proposing to codify its interpretation of the term \"import,\" as used in the statute, by incorporating that interpretation into its primary regulation concerning the importation of vehicles.","action":"Proposed policy statement; request for comments.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION","name":"Transportation Department","id":492,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/transportation-department","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/492","parent_id":null,"slug":"transportation-department"},{"raw_name":"National Highway Traffic Safety Administration","name":"National Highway Traffic Safety Administration","id":345,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/345","parent_id":492,"slug":"national-highway-traffic-safety-administration"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2002/03/19/02-5897.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":567,"title":49}],"citation":"67 FR 12790","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"Comment closing date: You should submit your comments early enough to ensure that Docket Management receives them not later than May 20, 2002.","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":["Docket No. NHTSA 02-11594","Notice 1"],"dockets":[],"document_number":"02-5897","effective_on":null,"end_page":12797,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"full_text_xml_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/xml/2002/03/19/02-5897.xml","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2002/03/19/02-5897/retroactive-certification-of-commercial-vehicles-by-motor-vehicle-manufacturers","images":{},"images_metadata":{},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/02-5897?publication_date=2002-03-19","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-2002-03-19/02-5897/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":8,"page_views":{"count":100,"last_updated":"2026-09-21 14:15:06 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2002-03-19/pdf/02-5897.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":null,"publication_date":"2002-03-19","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2002/03/19/02-5897.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{"2127-AI59":{"issue":"200404","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2127-AI59/retroactive-certification-policy-statement-","title":"Retroactive Certification (Policy Statement)","xml_url":"http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=200404&RIN=2127-AI59&operation=OPERATION_EXPORT_XML","priority_category":"Info./Admin./Other"}},"regulation_id_numbers":["2127-AI59"],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":false,"signing_date":null,"start_page":12790,"subtype":null,"title":"Retroactive Certification of Commercial Vehicles by Motor Vehicle Manufacturers","toc_doc":"Commercial vehicles; retroactive certification by motor vehicle manufacturers","toc_subject":"Motor vehicle safety standards:","topics":["Imports","Motor vehicle safety","Motor vehicles"],"type":"Proposed Rule","volume":67}