[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 190 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 51076-51077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24908]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

49 CFR Part 383

[FHWA Docket No. MC-93-12]
RIN 2125-AD05


Training of Entry-Level Drivers of Commercial Motor Vehicles

Agency: Federal Highway Administration, DOT.

Action: Notice of public outreach.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce an upcoming public 
meeting to be held on November 13, 1996, to discuss mandating entry-
level training for drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Section 
4007(a)(1) of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 
1991 (ISTEA) directed the Secretary of Transportation to report to 
Congress on the effectiveness of the efforts of the private sector to 
ensure adequate training of entry-level drivers of CMVs. In response to 
this statutory mandate, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) hired 
a contractor to conduct a study and published a notice of availability 
and request for comments in the Federal Register on April 25, 1996, (61 
FR 18355). The notice advised members of the general public that copies 
of the study entitled ``Assessing the Adequacy of Commercial Motor 
Vehicle Driver Training: Final Report'' and a cost-benefit analysis of 
requiring entry-level training for CMV drivers were available from the 
National Technical Information Service (NTIS) and requested public 
comment on both documents. The FHWA also advised the general public 
that the Agency was considering holding a public meeting on the issue 
of mandating entry-level training. With this notice, the FHWA is also 
announcing the extension of the closing date for comments on the final 
report and cost-benefit analysis to November 27, 1996.

DATES: The meeting will be held on November 13, 1996, and the comment 
period for the notice of availability and request for comments will be 
extended until November 27, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Department of Transportation 
Headquarters Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Room 3200, Washington, 
D.C. from 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ronald Finn, Office of Motor 
Carrier Research and Standards, (202) 366-0647, Federal Highway 
Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, D.C. 20590. Office 
hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. In advance of the session, all individuals 
planning to present information should contact Mr. Stan Hamilton, 
Office of Motor Carriers, telephone (202) 366-0665. Speakers should 
pre-register with Mr. Hamilton. Speakers who sign up at the meeting 
will be permitted to speak as time permits. To allow for maximum 
participation, oral presentations will be limited to no more than ten 
minutes.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    In response to the requirement in Sec. 4007(a)(2) of the ISTEA, 
Pub. L. 102-240,105 Stat. 1914 (1991), that the Secretary commence a 
rulemaking proceeding on the need to require training of all entry-
level drivers of CMVs, the FHWA published an advance notice of proposed 
rulemaking (ANPRM) on entry-level training on June 21, 1993, (58 FR 
33874). There were 104 comments to the ANPRM but no consensus was 
reached on the issue of mandated entry-level driver training. The 
American Trucking Associations stated that the Professional Truck 
Driver Institute of America's curriculum should be the standard to 
ensure adequate entry-level driver training. The New Mexico Tax and 
Revenue Department, on the other hand, stated that the commercial 
driver's license was the best method to determine if an applicant is 
qualified.

Adequacy Study

    Section 4007(a)(1) of the ISTEA directed the Secretary to report to 
Congress on the effectiveness of private sector efforts to ensure 
adequate training of CMV drivers. In response, the FHWA retained a 
contractor to conduct such a study. In analyzing the adequacy of entry-
level training, the contractor examined the training provided to entry-
level drivers of heavy trucks, motor coaches, and school buses. This 
examination disclosed that the percentage of employers who hire entry-
level drivers and provide them with adequate training was as follows: 
heavy truck employers (8 percent), motor coach employers (19 percent), 
and school bus operators (24 percent).
    Consequently, the contractor concluded that neither the heavy 
truck, motor coach, nor school bus segments of the CMV industry 
provided adequate entry-level driver training.

Cost-Benefit Study

    The FHWA also entered into a separate contract for a cost-benefit 
study. This study showed that the cost of mandating entry-level 
training for 360,000 drivers a year in the heavy truck industry would 
be $4.5 billion over a 10-year period. The societal benefits of fewer 
accidents, reduced health care costs, and reduced delays caused by 
accident-related traffic congestion over the same 10-year period were 
estimated to range from $5.8 to $15.3 billion.

Report to Congress

    The Secretary of Transportation submitted the ``Assessing the 
Adequacy of Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Training: Final Report'' 
and the cost-benefit analysis to the U.S. Congress on February 5, 1996.

[[Page 51077]]

Notice of Availability and Request for Comments

    The FHWA published a notice of availability and request for 
comments on April 25, 1996, advising the general public that the study 
entitled ``Assessing the Adequacy of Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver 
Training: Final Report'' and a cost-benefit analysis of requiring 
entry-level training for CMV drivers was available. With this notice, 
the FHWA is announcing that a public meeting will be held on November 
13, 1996, to discuss mandatory training for entry-level drivers of CMVs 
and that the comment period for the notice of availability and request 
for comments is being extended from October 22, 1996, until November 
27, 1996, to allow time for a record of the meeting proceedings to be 
included in the docket. Copies of the adequacy study and cost-benefit 
analysis are available from the National Technical Information Service, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, 
Virginia 22161. The telephone number for placing an order from NTIS is 
703-487-4650. The report number is P.B. 96-141536. The domestic price 
per copy is $61.00 while the foreign price is $122.00 per copy. Checks 
or money orders should be made payable to ``NTIS.'' American Express, 
VISA, MasterCard, or NTIS deposit account are also accepted. As of 
August 6, five additional comments to the docket had been received.

    Authority: Sec. 4007 of Pub. L. 102-240; 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued on: September 23, 1996.
Rodney E. Slater,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-24908 Filed 9-27-96; 8:45 am]
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