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[Federal Register: February 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 38)]
[Notices]
[Page 9857-9858]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27fe06-92] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration [Docket No. FMCSA-2006-23669] Notice of Request for Clearance of a New Information Collection:
Commercial Driver's License Policies and Practices Among the 51
Jurisdictions AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces FMCSA's plan to submit the Information Collection
Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for approval and comment. The ICR is related to Commercial
Driver's License (CDL) policies and practices among the 50 States and
the District of Columbia (referred to as the 51 [[Page 9858]] jurisdictions). On October 26, 2005, the agency published a Federal
Register notice with a 60-day comment period to solicit the public's
views on the information collection pertaining to this subject. Ten
comments were received. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 29, 2006. A
comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of
this publication. ADDRESSES: Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20503, Attention: DOT/FMCSA Desk Officer. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Glenda Davis, FMCSA, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Rm. 8304, Washington, DC 20590; phone: 202-366-5209; fax:
202-366-7298; e-mail: glenda.davis@fmcsa.dot.gov or Lorena F. Truett,
National Transportation Research Center, 2360 Cherahala Boulevard, Room
I-32, Knoxville, TN 37932; phone: 865-946-1306; fax: 865-946-1314; e-
mail: TruettLF@ornl.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This package contains the following
supplementary information: Title: Commercial Driver's License Policies and Practices Among the
51 Jurisdictions. OMB Control Number: 2126-XXXX. Type of Request: New information collection. Background: The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act (CMVSA), (Pub.
L. 99-570, Title XII, 100 Stat. 3207-170, October 27, 1998), was passed
in an effort to improve highway safety as it related to commercial
motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The Commercial Driver's License Program
was created as a result of the CMVSA. The Motor Carrier Safety
Improvement Act of 1999 (MCSIA), (Pub. L. 106-159, 113 Stat. 1748,
December 9, 1999), further strengthened the CDL Program through more
vehicle and driver inspections and carrier compliance reviews, stronger
enforcement, expedited completion of rules, and effective CDL testing,
record keeping, and sanctions. The goal of both the CMVSA and MCSIA was
to improve highway safety by ensuring that drivers of commercial motor
vehicles were qualified to operate those vehicles and to remove unsafe
and unqualified drivers from the highways. FMCSA conducts Compliance Reviews (CRs) of the 50 States plus
Washington, DC, to ensure that the States are complying with the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Additional objectives of the
State CRs include the following: Identifying technical, operational,
and administrative deficiencies in State CDL programs; establishing a
mechanism for identifying and correcting serious program deficiencies;
and identifying opportunities for CDL fraud. Based on the results of the State CRs, which were completed in
every State, some States had fewer compliance issues than others. It
appears, however, that each State was in non-compliance to some degree
at the time the CR was conducted in the State. FMCSA believes it is
necessary to understand why the States are in non-compliance. While
there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that fault may lie with the
various processes used within the States, or the Agency's failure to
provide adequate guidance, or even with the States' inability to
understand the Federal regulations, there has been no systematic effort
to determine the cause of non-compliance. For FMCSA to find a solution
which brings the States into compliance with the CDL Federal
requirements and thereby increase commercial-vehicle safety, FMCSA must
obtain input from the States. No other survey of this type is being
conducted. The primary means for obtaining information from the State
officials through this survey will be via a password-protected Web
site. In the introduction ("welcome screen") to the questionnaire,
the respondent will be provided alternatives for taking the survey via
a paper copy or over a phone call with a contractor hired by FMCSA. If
the respondent indicates a preference for the paper copy or phone
survey, arrangements will be made for administering the survey in the
desired format. In addition, any respondents who prefer to be
interviewed via a phone call will also be provided an e-mail address so
they may submit additional comments if desired. Respondents: The total number of respondents is 51. Each of the 51
jurisdictions (50 States plus the District of Columbia) will be
contacted. Average Burden per Response: Each response is expected to take
about 1 hour to complete. Estimated Total Annual Burden: The estimated total annual burden is
51 hours (51 responses x 1 hour per response = 51 hours). Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
FMCSA, including whether the information will have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents, without reducing the quality of the collected information.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. Issued on: February 17, 2006.
Annette M. Sandberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-2680 Filed 2-24-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P
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