[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13948-13952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6850]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

49 CFR Part 1420

[Docket No. BTS-98-4659]
RIN 2139-AA05


Revision to Reporting Requirements for Motor Carriers of Property 
and Household Goods

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, DOT.

ACTION: Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) collects data 
from motor carriers of property on annual report Form M and quarterly 
report Form QFR. BTS proposes to adopt measures concerning what data 
from those forms are made publicly available. Summary information, 
where information cannot be readily matched to an individual carrier, 
would always be made available. However, the proposed rules would 
restrict access to individual carrier data for some of the operating 
statistics, revenue equipment, and employment data items. Access to 
these data items would be limited to the Department of Transportation 
(DOT) and to such persons and in such circumstances as DOT determines 
to be in the public interest or consistent with the Department's 
regulatory functions and responsibilities.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by April 22, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Please direct comments to the Docket Clerk, Docket No. BTS-
98-4659, Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 
PL-401, Washington, DC 20590, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Comments should identify the regulatory docket number and be 
submitted in duplicate to the address listed above. Commenters wishing 
the Department to acknowledge receipt of their comments must submit 
with those comments a self-addressed stamped postcard on which the 
following statement is made: Comments on Docket BTS-98-4659. The Docket 
Clerk will date stamp the postcard and mail it back to the commenter.
    If you wish to file comments using the Internet, you may use the 
U.S. DOT Dockets Management System website at http://dms.dot.gov. 
Please follow the instructions online for more information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Mednick, K-2, Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590; (202) 366-8871; fax: (202) 366-3640; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Electronic Access

    You can examine all comments that were submitted to the Rules 
Docket concerning this rulemaking at: Department of Transportation, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590, from 10 a.m. to 
5 p.m. , Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Internet users 
can access the comments at the address: http://dms.dot.gov. Search for 
Docket Number 4659. Please follow the instructions online for more 
information and help.
    You can download an electronic copy of this document using a modem 
and

[[Page 13949]]

suitable communications software from the Federal Register Electronic 
Bulletin Board Service at (202) 512-1661. If you have access to the 
Internet, you can obtain an electronic copy at http://www.bts.gov/mcs/
rulemaking.htm.

II. Background

Authority

    The Secretary of Transportation has authority to establish 
regulations for the collection of certain data from motor carriers of 
property and others. Section 103 of the ICC Termination Act of 1995, 
Pub. L. 104-88, 109 Stat. 803 (1995) (codified at 49 U.S.C. 14123). 
This authority has been delegated to the Director of the Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics (BTS). 49 CFR 1.71.

Regulatory History

    On November 3, 1998, BTS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
(NPRM) which proposed rules for revising the data collected from Class 
I and II motor carriers of property and household goods (63 FR 59263). 
It also proposed a system for carriers to request exemptions from 
filing reports and exemptions from public release of their reported 
data. On November 25, 1998, BTS published a notice extending the 
comment period until January 15, 1999 (63 FR 65163). In addition to 
publishing this Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM), BTS 
is also publishing the final rule on the NPRM (Final Rule). The Final 
Rule is being published in this issue of the Federal Register. While 
the NPRM and Final Rule addressed the issue of confidentiality of 
individual carrier reports, they did not examine the issue of public 
availability of the data generally.

Brief History of the Data Collection Program

    The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) collected financial data 
from regulated motor carriers from the 1930's until its sunset at the 
end of 1995, when the data collection was transferred to the Department 
of Transportation (DOT). See 49 U.S.C. 11145 and its implementing 
regulations at 49 CFR part 1420.1 Between 1978 and 1994, the 
ICC significantly reduced the reporting requirements. It substantially 
shortened report forms and eased record retention requirements. These 
changes followed the shift in the ICC's focus from close economic 
regulation of the motor carrier industry to industry oversight. The 
last revision to accounting and reporting requirements, ICC's Ex Parte 
No. MC-206, 10 I.C.C.2d 329 (1994), contains additional background 
information.
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    \1\ The regulations were recently transferred from 49 CFR part 
1249 to 49 CFR part 1420. See Reports of Motor Carriers; 
Redesignation of Regulations Pursuant to the ICC Termination Act of 
1995, 63 FR 52192 (Sept. 30, 1998).
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Changes Made to the Data Collection Program by the Final Rule

    The Final Rule, discussed above in ``Regulatory History,'' 
implements the ICC Termination Act of 1995 (the ICCTA), which abolished 
the ICC and transferred some of the data collection program to DOT. 
While the ICCTA continued the program, it made several changes to it. 
Similar to the legislation replaced by the ICCTA, then codified at 49 
U.S.C. 11145, the ICCTA requires DOT to collect certain data from motor 
carriers of property and motor carriers of passengers:

    The Secretary shall require Class I and Class II motor carriers 
to file with the Secretary annual financial and safety reports, the 
form and substance of which shall be prescribed by the Secretary; 
except that, at a minimum, such reports shall include balance sheets 
and income statements.

The former 49 U.S.C. 11145 did not explicitly charge ICC to collect 
information relevant to safety and did not specify minimum data to be 
collected. The ICCTA also allows DOT to collect certain other data as 
needed:

    The Secretary may require motor carriers, freight forwarders, 
brokers, lessors, and associations, or classes of them as the 
Secretary may prescribe, to file quarterly, periodic, or special 
reports with the Secretary and to respond to surveys concerning 
their operations.

The ICCTA specifies the criteria to be used in designing the reporting 
program. DOT must consider: (1) Safety needs; (2) the need to preserve 
confidential business information and trade secrets and prevent 
competitive harm; (3) private sector, academic, and public use of 
information in the reports; and (4) the public interest. In the ICCTA, 
Congress explicitly called on DOT to streamline and simplify these 
reporting requirements to the maximum extent practicable.
    Unlike the former 49 U.S.C. 11145, the ICCTA authorizes two types 
of exemptions from the reporting requirements. Each exemption is based 
on certain criteria and is granted for a three-year period. The first 
is an exemption from filing report forms. The requestor ``must 
demonstrate, at a minimum, that an exemption is required to avoid 
competitive harm and preserve confidential business information that is 
not otherwise publicly available.'' The second is an exemption from 
public release of a carrier's report. Similar to the other exemption, 
the requestor must demonstrate that ``the exemption requested is 
necessary to avoid competitive harm and to avoid the disclosure of 
information that qualifies as a trade secret or privileged or 
confidential information under section 552(b)(4) of title 5.'' Further, 
for the latter exemption the requestor must not be a publicly held 
corporation or must not be subject to financial reporting requirements 
of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
    To implement the ICCTA, BTS proposed changes to the reporting 
requirements and proposed procedures for carriers to request 
exemptions. After receiving comments on the proposal, BTS issued the 
Final Rule, which made a number of changes to the data collection 
program. Class I carriers, those with annual operating revenues of $10 
million or more, will now file significantly reduced annual and 
quarterly reports. Class II carriers, those with annual operating 
revenues of between $3 and $10 million, will file a modified annual 
report. In addition, the Final Rule sets out procedures for carriers to 
request exemptions from filing and exemptions from public release of 
their reports. For more information, please refer to the NPRM and Final 
Rule.

Content of Carrier Reports

    The annual report collects financial and operating data from Class 
I and Class II for-hire motor carries of property and motor carriers of 
household goods. The types of data, with varying amount of detail for 
each, are: (1) Assets, (2) liabilities; (3) operating revenue; (4) 
other revenue; (5) detailed operating expenses; (6) other expenses; (7) 
miles, tons, shipments, and ton-miles by industry segment; (8) revenue 
equipment; and (9) employment and compensation. Only Class I carriers 
are required to file the quarterly report, which contains much fewer 
data items and in much less detail. The types of data required in the 
quarterly report are: (1) Operating revenue; (2) other revenue; (3) 
operating expenses; (4) other expenses; and (5) miles, tons, and 
shipments.
    The data are used by the Department of Transportation, other 
federal agencies, motor carriers, shippers, industry analysts, labor 
unions, segments of the insurance industry, investment analysts, and 
the consultants and data vendors that support these users. Among the 
uses of the data are: (1) Developing the U.S. national accounts and 
preparing the quarterly estimates of the Gross Domestic Product; (2) 
measuring the performance of the for-hire motor carrier industry

[[Page 13950]]

and segments within it; (3) monitoring carrier safety; (4) benchmarking 
carrier performance; and (5) analyzing motor carrier safety, 
productivity, and its role in the economy.

Confidentiality--Background

    Under the current policy, individual carrier reports are made 
available to the public, unless otherwise prohibited by law. This 
policy was carried over from the time when the ICC administered the 
program. With the changes made by the ICCTA, as implemented by the 
Final Rule, privately held carriers are able to request that their 
report be kept confidential.
    To understand how confidentiality is treated in the ICCTA requires 
a bit of background about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 
U.S.C. 552). Under FOIA, any person can obtain records from a federal 
agency, unless the records (or a part of the records) are protected 
from disclosure by any of the law's nine exemptions. Records include 
reports filed with the government by private entities, such as Form M 
and Form QFR. Of FOIA's nine exemptions, where disclosure is not 
mandatory, Exemption Four is relevant here. It protects ``trade secrets 
and commercial or financial information obtained from a person (that 
is) privileged or confidential.'' Information is confidential under 
Exemption Four if disclosure would be likely ``to cause substantial 
harm to the competitive position of the (reporting carrier)'' or 
``impair the Government's ability to obtain necessary information in 
the future.'' 2
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    \2\ National Parks & Conservation Ass'n v. Morton, 498 F.2d 765 
(D.C. Cir. 1974).
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    Like FOIA, the ICCTA both calls for information to be available and 
restricts availability in certain instances. While nothing in the 
statutory authority explicitly requires that information be made 
publicly available, it is implied. BTS, in designing the data 
collection program, must consider not just government needs but also 
safety needs; use of the data by the private sector, academics, and the 
public; and the public interest. This gives a strong public policy 
statement in support of making individual carrier data accessible to 
the public. While summary data may meet certain needs, individual 
carrier data would be more helpful to some analyses. Furthermore, 
effective safety monitoring requires individual carrier data. The 
implication that individual carrier data generally be made publicly 
available is further supported by the fact that the ICCTA defines the 
circumstances under which a carrier's data must be withheld from 
disclosure. BTS must withhold carrier information from public release 
in those situations where the carrier can show competitive harm would 
result. In this case, the carrier's entire report is withheld for three 
years, except for internal DOT use or in aggregate form. 
Confidentiality also plays a role in shaping the data collection, since 
the ICCTA instructs BTS to take into account the need to preserve 
confidential business information and prevent competitive harm.

Confidentiality--Comments in the NPRM

    As discussed above, individual carriers are able to request an 
exemption if public release would likely result in substantial 
competitive harm. Several commenters, however, advocated that some or 
all of the information should be kept confidential for all carriers. 
That is, the information could cause competitive harm not just in a 
particular carrier's case, but for carriers generally. These commenters 
said that is it common knowledge the data can be used by competitors to 
the reporting carrier's detriment. Publishing only aggregate data would 
serve most purposes because private data users have other means of 
getting data. Furthermore, in other industries companies are not 
required to divulge financial information. Since no public purpose 
would be served and the information provided by carriers is private, 
otherwise confidential, commercially sensitive information, it should 
not be publicly released. These commenters generally stated that the 
data collected (presumably all or most) fell into the confidentiality 
category. One wanted all data protected, but was most concerned about 
operating statistics (schedules 300 and 400 of proposed Form M). This 
was identified as information that could, when used in combination with 
other financial information, be used by competitors to the detriment of 
the reporting carrier. That is, the units of operation are most 
sensitive because they allow calculation of such items as revenue per 
mile and cost per mile.
    By contrast, some other commenters pointed to the need for 
individual carrier data. They stated that the reports enable not only 
the government but also non-governmental entities to review the 
financial status of the motor carriers. This helps ensure that those 
carriers who are most likely to create safety risks are subject to 
oversight and evaluation. Some representatives and associations of 
insurance companies stated that they use reports to ascertain and 
evaluate the financial condition of insured and applicant motor 
carriers. They also state that this type of information is not 
generally available otherwise. A motor carrier supported continued 
availability, saying the information is pro-competitive, as it allows 
the public to monitor the profile of motor carriers. Furthermore, 
markets, including the motor carrier industry, operate most efficiently 
in the light of adequate competitive information. Without this 
essential data, shippers would have diminished ability to compare 
carriers, and carriers would have less incentive to benchmark their 
operations. Another commenter pointed out that the financial 
information is useful to shippers, who are concerned about the 
financial well-being of carriers they use.

Confidentiality--Proposal

    The goal of the Final Rule is to determine what data items to 
collect. BTS had to balance user needs with the burden the data 
collection places on respondents and strike this balance within the 
guidelines and restrictions of the ICCTA. In this Supplemental Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking, BTS seeks to strike a similar balance and again 
within the confines of the ICCTA. Data users need access to data, often 
at the individual carrier level. Respondents face the burden of having 
data they believe are proprietary and sensitive made available to 
competitors, shippers, and the public.
    To protect carriers from any potential harm, BTS could either 
eliminate sensitive items from the data collection, withhold carrier 
reports from public release individually, or withhold some or all data 
from public release for all carriers. BTS proposes to use a combination 
of these approaches. The Final Rule will reduce the data items we 
collect to those that are most important. It also allows individual 
carriers to assert competitive harm with respect to their 
circumstances. This proposal would, to the extent allowed by law, 
protect for all carriers the most sensitive of the information that is 
collected under the revised forms. The proposal also includes a 
provision for releasing individual carrier data in certain 
circumstances, to ensure continued access for key uses.
    The new rules would limit access to the following data items on the 
report forms: all of the Operating Statistics data items, the Cost 
column of the Revenue Equipment data items, and the Total Compensation 
and Hours Earned or Miles Operated columns of the Employment 
Information data items. We believe this is information that is 
generally kept confidential by motor carriers and not voluntarily 
disclosed to

[[Page 13951]]

shippers and competitors. Furthermore, these data elements of operating 
information are those most likely to result in substantial competitive 
harm for carriers if released. This information would be given a three 
year confidentiality period, which is the amount of time confidential 
business information is to be withheld from public release under the 
ICCTA. Furthermore, three years is long enough to greatly diminish the 
harmful potential of the data.
    Summary data that do not identify individual carriers may be 
released any time. In addition, individual carrier data withheld from 
public disclosure may be released by BTS to: (1) Other components of 
DOT for their internal use only; and (2) such persons and in such 
circumstances as the Department of Transportation determines to be in 
the public interest or consistent with the Department's regulatory 
functions and responsibilities. Examples of uses that would likely 
receive access to data restricted under this proposal include those 
aimed at improving motor carrier safety or research evaluating policy 
questions such as the impacts of changes to the driver hours of service 
regulations. The user would have to state its intended use and agree to 
abide by BTS's disclosure rules related to the restricted data. Uses 
that would likely not receive access include individual carriers or 
shippers seeking to improve their competitive position. There is no 
absolute guarantee that this information can be withheld from 
disclosure if requested under the Freedom of Information Act. If such 
requests are filed, they would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
    Certain financial and operating information submitted to BTS by air 
carriers have been accorded confidential treatment under similar 
guidelines and the system has worked quite well. (See 14 CFR 298.62(d) 
and 14 CFR part 241 sections 19-6, 19-7 and 22). A similar system is 
likewise used by the Surface Transportation Board regarding the rail 
waybill data it collects (see 49 CFR 1244.8) and DOT's National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration in its class determinations of 
confidentiality in certain circumstances (see 49 CFR 512.10 and 
appendix B to 49 CFR part 512).

Effects of the Proposed Revisions

    These proposed rules, in combination with the Final Rule, are 
designed to minimize any potential detrimental affects of public access 
to individual carrier data to the extent possible under law. The 
changes incorporate aspects of the three major suggestions made by 
commenters favoring greater protection. The new rules significantly 
reduce the number and detail of data items class I carriers are 
required to report. The proposed rules would restrict access to 
individual carrier data for those data items that are most sensitive. 
Carriers will still be able to claim that, despite the shortened report 
form and protection of the most sensitive data items, in their 
situation competitive harm still result. That is, a carrier will be 
able to request that BTS further restrict public access to its report 
or request that BTS waive the reporting requirements altogether.
    BTS also notes that the data collection benefits carriers as they 
are a large component of the data users. The data users will benefit 
from the changes as BTS retained reporting of key information in the 
Final Rule and is preserving access to data to meet most needs. First, 
users will have access to most of the data at the individual carrier 
level. Second, where individual carrier data are needed for one of the 
broad listed uses, the user will also have access. Third, all users 
will have access to all data at an aggregate level. Fourth, they will 
have access to all data after three years.

III. Request for Comments

    The goal of this proposed rulemaking is to reach an equitable and 
practical balance, within the context of the ICC Termination Act of 
1995, between access and confidentiality. It presumes that a certain 
set of data is likely to be commercially sensitive and creates a system 
designed to protect against the potential for competitive harm to 
carriers while permitting access for principal uses. The issue of 
protecting classes of data was not directly discussed in the earlier 
NPRM and BTS did not seek comment on it. Nor has the public had a 
chance to comment on the details of the system we are currently 
proposing. Therefore, BTS is issuing this SNPRM and requests comments 
concerning the above revisions to the public availability of the 
information collected in motor carrier report Forms M and QFR. Among 
other topics, you may wish to address one or more of the following: (1) 
Would public availability of the identified data items be likely to 
cause substantial competitive harms and why or why not; (2) are there 
other data items that are confidential and public release of them would 
either cause substantial competitive harm or would impair an important 
government interest; (3) what changes, if any, need to be made to the 
proposal to ensure that the ICCTA's goal of providing information for 
listed uses is fulfilled.

IV. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices

Executive Order 12866 and DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures

    This rule is not considered a significant regulatory action under 
section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866 and therefore is not reviewed by 
the Office of Management and Budget.
    This final rule is not considered significant under the regulatory 
policies and procedures of the Department of Transportation (44 FR 
11034). It would not affect reporting burden and would have no economic 
impact. If anything, it would reduce the burden on motor carriers by 
protecting sensitive information from public release.
    The major beneficiaries of the data collection are the federal 
government, the motor carrier industry, industry associations, 
transportation investment analysts, transportation research analysts, 
and motor carrier safety analysts. The program provides data that are 
used in developing the national accounts, data for monitoring industry 
trends, and data useful to the public and private sectors regarding the 
operation and health of the trucking industry and individual carriers.

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), BTS 
must consider whether a final rule would have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. The definition of 
``small business'' is contained in the Small Business Administration's 
small business size standard regulations. For motor carriers of 
property, small businesses are those with annual receipts of up to 
$18.5 million. Under the current classification, there are about 2,800 
reporting carriers of which an estimated 2,180 (or 78 percent) are 
small businesses (all class II carriers and 31 percent of class I 
carriers are classified as small businesses). The proposed changes will 
not affect reporting burden for any reporting carriers. Instead they 
would reduce the burden on motor carriers by protecting sensitive 
information from public release. In addition, the changes would not 
impose any new regulatory requirements, directly or indirectly, on 
small entities. Therefore, I certify this proposal if adopted would not 
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities.

Paperwork Reduction Act Analysis

    In this SNPRM, no changes are being proposed to either Form M or 
Form QFR.

[[Page 13952]]

Other Determinations

    BTS has analyzed this action for the purposes of the National 
Environmental Protection Act. It will not have a significant impact 
upon the quality of the human environment or the conservation of energy 
resources. Accordingly, an Environmental Impact Statement is not 
required. BTS has analyzed this action in accordance with the 
principles and criteria contained in Executive Order 12612 
(``Federalism'') and determined that the rule does not have sufficient 
federalism implications to warrant the preparation of a federalism 
assessment. This action does not impose unfunded mandates under the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. It does not result in costs of 
$100 million or more to state, local, or tribal governments, in the 
aggregate, or to the private sector, and is the least burdensome 
alternative that achieves the objectives of the rule. Similarly, 
because this action does not create an unfunded Federal mandate on 
state, local or tribal governments, the requirements of section 1(a) of 
Executive Order 12875, Enhancing Intergovernmental Partnerships, do not 
apply. This action does not have potential takings implication under 
Executive Order 12630 because it does not authorize any takings. In 
accordance with Executive Order 12630, regarding Governmental Action 
and Interference with Constitutionally Protected Property Rights, BTS 
finds that this SNPRM implicates no takings, in that it does not 
propose or implement licensing, permitting, or other conditions, 
requirements, or limitations on private use, nor does it require 
dedications or exactions from owners of private property. BTS has 
reviewed this action in accordance with Executive Order 12988, Civil 
Justice Reform, and has determined that this action meets the 
applicable standards provided in section 3(b) of the Executive Order. 
Nor does this action require OMB review in accordance with Executive 
Order 13045, entitled Protection of Children from Environmental Health 
Risks and Safety Risks.

Regulation Identifier Number

    A regulation identifier number (RIN) is assigned to each regulatory 
action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulations. The 
Regulatory Information Service Center publishes the Unified Agenda in 
April and October of each year. The RIN number 2139-AA05 contained in 
the heading of this document can be used to cross reference this action 
with the Unified Agenda.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 1420

    Motor carriers, Reporting and classification.

Proposed Rule

    Accordingly, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics proposes to 
amend 49 CFR part 1420 Reports of Motor Carriers, as follows:

PART 1420--REPORTS OF MOTOR CARRIERS

    1. The authority citation for part 1420 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 14123.

    2. In Sec. 1420.10, paragraph (c) is redesignated as paragraph (d).
    3. Section 1420.10 is amended by adding paragraph (c) to read as 
follows:


Sec. 1420.10  Public release of motor carrier of property data.

* * * * *
    (c) Exceptions relating to certain operating information.
    (1) The following data items contained in annual report Form M or 
quarterly report Form QFR shall be withheld from public release for a 
period of three years after the report's due date: all of the Operating 
Statistics data items, the Cost column of the Revenue Equipment data 
items, and the Total Compensation and Hours Earned or Miles Operated 
columns of the Employment Information data items.
    (2) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, individual 
carrier financial data withheld from public disclosure may be disclosed 
by BTS to such persons and in such circumstances as BTS determines to 
be in the public interest or consistent with the Department of 
Transportation's regulatory functions and responsibilities.
    (3) This paragraph applies to annual reports covering 1998 and 
later years, and quarterly reports beginning with the first quarter of 
1999.
* * * * *
Ashish Sen,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
[FR Doc. 99-6850 Filed 3-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-FE-P