Prior to the new year, the SEMA Board of Directors approved a motion to decrease the size of the Board. The bylaw revision initiative reflects their consensus that a smaller Board would improve the quality of discussion and reduce cost. 



Voting on the motion commenced in September. We are sending this communication now to advise that the voting period is about to expire. Those who have not cast their votes have only a few more days to do so before voting closes 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, January 10.

Only the designated SEMA “primary contact” may register a vote. 

If you are the SEMA primary contact for your company and have not voted, please record your vote now using your member number and password to vote online.

If voting instructions have not been received by your company’s primary contact, please advise that person to e-mail support@directvote.net in order to receive materials necessary to log your company’s vote. 

If you do not know who the SEMA primary contact is for your company, e-mail Arlene Wood at arlenew@sema.org or call 909-978-6689. 



For a more complete review of the arguments for and against the proposal, SEMA members are invited and encouraged to visit www.sema.org/voteNOW/faq.



Your company’s vote is important. The Board-approved changes are needed to make the Board more productive for the SEMA membership. We thank you for supplying your company’s input on this important matter.

Prior to the new year, the SEMA Board of Directors approved a motion to decrease the size of the Board. The bylaw revision initiative reflects their consensus that a smaller Board would improve the quality of discussion and reduce cost. 



Voting on the motion commenced in September. We are sending this communication now to advise that the voting period is about to expire. Those who have not cast their votes have only a few more days to do so before voting closes 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, January 10.

Only the designated SEMA “primary contact” may register a vote. 

If you are the SEMA primary contact for your company and have not voted, please record your vote now using your member number and password to vote online.

If voting instructions have not been received by your company’s primary contact, please advise that person to e-mail support@directvote.net in order to receive materials necessary to log your company’s vote. 

If you do not know who the SEMA primary contact is for your company, e-mail Arlene Wood at arlenew@sema.org or call 909-978-6689. 



For a more complete review of the arguments for and against the proposal, SEMA members are invited and encouraged to visit www.sema.org/voteNOW/faq.



Your company’s vote is important. The Board-approved changes are needed to make the Board more productive for the SEMA membership. We thank you for supplying your company’s input on this important matter.

Prior to the new year, the SEMA Board of Directors approved a motion to decrease the size of the Board. The bylaw revision initiative reflects their consensus that a smaller Board would improve the quality of discussion and reduce cost. 



Voting on the motion commenced in September. We are sending this communication now to advise that the voting period is about to expire. Those who have not cast their votes have only a few more days to do so before voting closes 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, January 10.

Only the designated SEMA “primary contact” may register a vote. 

If you are the SEMA primary contact for your company and have not voted, please record your vote now using your member number and password to vote online.

If voting instructions have not been received by your company’s primary contact, please advise that person to e-mail support@directvote.net in order to receive materials necessary to log your company’s vote. 

If you do not know who the SEMA primary contact is for your company, e-mail Arlene Wood at arlenew@sema.org or call 909-978-6689. 



For a more complete review of the arguments for and against the proposal, SEMA members are invited and encouraged to visit www.sema.org/voteNOW/faq.



Your company’s vote is important. The Board-approved changes are needed to make the Board more productive for the SEMA membership. We thank you for supplying your company’s input on this important matter.

This collection of photos features products for the Fiat 500 that were entered into the 2011 SEMA Show New Products Showcase. The Fiat 500 was selected at the SEMA Award winner for hottest sport compact.

This collection of photos features products for the Fiat 500 that were entered into the 2011 SEMA Show New Products Showcase. The Fiat 500 was selected at the SEMA Award winner for hottest sport compact.

Truck drivers may be on the road up to 11 hours daily but must take a minimum break of at least 30 minutes after eight hours under a new rule issued by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The “hours of service” rule covering commercial motor vehicles has been debated for more than a decade. The Department of Transportation reduced the maximum number of hours a driver can work during the week from 82 to 70. The requirement that there be a 34-hour rest period between the end of one week and the start of another remains unchanged. The new rule takes effect on July 1, 2013.

Although the rule is generally associated with long-haul carriers, any manufacturer, distributor or retailer may be impacted if shipping schedules or transportation costs are adjusted as a result of the new rule.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org. 

Truck drivers may be on the road up to 11 hours daily but must take a minimum break of at least 30 minutes after eight hours under a new rule issued by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The “hours of service” rule covering commercial motor vehicles has been debated for more than a decade. The Department of Transportation reduced the maximum number of hours a driver can work during the week from 82 to 70. The requirement that there be a 34-hour rest period between the end of one week and the start of another remains unchanged. The new rule takes effect on July 1, 2013.

Although the rule is generally associated with long-haul carriers, any manufacturer, distributor or retailer may be impacted if shipping schedules or transportation costs are adjusted as a result of the new rule.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org. 

In March 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a final rule establishing test procedures to be used by tire manufacturers when rating the fuel economy, safety and durability characteristics of replacement tires. The NHTSA has modified the rule in response to several petitions for reconsideration. Of interest to limited-production specialty tire manufacturers, the NHTSA has clarified that there is an ongoing reporting requirement when claiming an exemption for a new tire model or removing an existing tire from the exemption list. The manufacturer must send a declaration statement to the NHTSA within 30 days of it being offered for sale.  

The Tire Fuel Efficiency Information Program itself has not yet gone into effect. The agency is still debating how to convey the information to consumers at the point of sale and online. The premise for the new program is to allow consumers to compare ratings for different replacement tires and determine the effect of tire choices on fuel economy or the potential tradeoffs between tire fuel efficiency (rolling resistance), safety (wet traction) and durability (treadwear life). The consumer information may be conveyed in the form of a 1–5 star rating system or some similar approach, and included on a label affixed to each tire. The exact label design has not been set.  

The program is required under a 2007 law, which contains a SEMA provision exempting tires that have been produced or imported in annual units of less than 15,000, and do not exceed 35,000 tires in total brand name production. The NHTSA originally asked the limited-production tire manufacturers to submit reporting data so that the agency could identify the tires for which the 15,000-35,000-unit low-volume exemption was claimed.

In comments submitted to the agency, SEMA convinced the NHTSA that such a paperwork burden was unnecessary. Instead, the NHTSA agreed to require that the limited production tire manufacturers provide a one-time list of its tire models/sizes, along with a statement that the tire models/sizes are excluded from the applicability of the regulation and, thus, are not rated. As noted, the manufacturer must update the list as circumstances change.

Questions: contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.