[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33399-33400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12874]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2000-7316]


Notice of Request for Renewal of an Information Collection; 
Medical Qualifications Requirements

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the FMCSA solicits comment on its intent to 
request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the 
renewal to collect information for continuation of the requirements 
within 49 CFR parts 391 and 398 for (1) A medical examination form and 
certificate to be completed by a licensed medical examiner; (2) the 
submission of an application to the FMCSA for the agency to resolve 
conflicts of medical evaluation between medical examiners; (3) a driver 
qualification file for motor carriers to include the medical 
certificate; (4) a driver qualification file for motor carriers of 
migrant workers to include a doctor's certificate for every driver 
employed or used by them; (5) a driver qualification file to include a 
limb disability waiver issued to a driver; and (6) information 
collection requirements for granting exemptions from the vision 
requirements in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 24, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Signed, written comments should refer to the docket number 
that appears at the top of this document and must be submitted to the 
Docket Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001. All comments received will be available for 
examination at the above address between 10 a.m. and 5

[[Page 33400]]

p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Those 
desiring notification of receipt of comments must include a self-
addressed, stamped envelope or postcard.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Sandra Zywokarte, Office of Bus 
and Truck Standards & Operations, (202) 366-4001, Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Administration, DOT, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Medical Qualifications Requirements.
    OMB Number: 2126-0006.
    Background: Title 49 U.S.C. 31136 requires the Secretary of 
Transportation to prescribe regulations to ensure that the physical 
qualifications of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators are adequate 
to enable them to operate CMVs safely. In addition, 49 U.S.C. 31502 
authorizes the Secretary to prescribe requirements for qualifications 
of employees of a motor carrier when needed to promote safety of 
operation. Information about an individual's physical condition must be 
collected in order for the FMCSA and motor carriers to verify that the 
individual meets the physical qualifications for CMV drivers in 49 CFR 
391.41 and for the FMCSA to determine whether the individual is 
physically able to operate a CMV safely. This information collection is 
comprised of the 6 components listed in the summary.
    Respondents: Medical examiners, medical specialists, physicians, 
licensed doctors of medicine or osteopathy, motor carriers, and CMV 
drivers.
    Estimated Burden Per Record: Eight minutes for a medical examiner 
to complete the medical examination form; 1 minute for the medical 
examiner to complete the medical examiner's certificate; 1 minute to 
copy and file the medical examiner's certificate; 1 hour to prepare an 
application for resolution of medical conflict; 15 minutes to complete 
an application for an initial waiver of physical defects or 
impairments; 2 minutes to complete an application for a renewal of a 
waiver of physical defects or impairments; 1 minute to copy and file 
limb waiver applications; 66 minutes to complete an application for a 
vision exemption with required supporting documents; and 1 minute for a 
doctor of medicine or osteopathy to complete a doctor's certificate for 
a driver of migrant workers.
    Frequency: Estimated annual responses are as follows: 2,750,000 
medical examinations and medical certificates; 2 applications for 
resolution of conflicts of medical evaluation; 750 applications for 
waivers of physical defects and impairments; 200 applications for 
renewal of waiver of physical defects and impairments; 840 applications 
for vision exemption; 100 medical certificates for drivers of migrant 
workers.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: There are an estimated 5,500,000 CMV 
drivers, 2,750,000 per year who must undergo a medical examination. 
Approximately 2 cases per year are submitted to the FMCSA for a hearing 
before an Administrative Law Judge to resolve medical conflicts between 
medical examiners. There are approximately 1,500 limb waivers 
outstanding, resulting in 750 renewals. There are approximately 200 new 
applications for limb waivers annually. There are approximately 840 new 
applications for vision exemptions annually. Since the vision exemption 
program is new, the agency has not yet received any applications for 
renewal. The total estimated annual burden for this information 
collection is 459,321 hours.

Public Comments Invited

    Interested parties are invited to send comments regarding any 
aspect of this information collection, including, but not limited to: 
(1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the FMCSA, including whether the 
information has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the estimated 
burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
collected information; and (4) ways to minimize the collection burden 
without reducing the quality of the collected information.

Electronic Availability

    An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded from the 
Internet, from the Office of the Federal Register web site: http://www.nara.gov/fedreg, or the U.S. Government Printing Office web site: 
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara. Internet users can access all comments 
received by the U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, by using the universal 
resource locator (URL): http://dms.dot.gov. This service is available 
24 hours each day, 365 days each year. Please follow the instructions 
online for more information and help.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 315 and 49 CFR 1.73.

    Issued on: May 14, 2000.
Julie Anna Cirillo,
Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-12874 Filed 5-22-00; 8:45 am]
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