[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 73 (Thursday, April 15, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 20111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8499]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2004-17049]


Notice of Request for Comments on Renewing the Approval for an 
Information Collection: Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This action informs the public that FMCSA intends to request 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew approval for the 
information collection required by the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance 
Program (MCSAP). That information consists of grant application 
preparation, quarterly reports and electronic data documenting the 
results of driver/vehicle inspections performed by the States. This 
notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act.

DATES: You must submit comments by June 14, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand deliver comments to the U. S. Department of 
Transportation, Dockets Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, or submit electronically at http://dmses.dot.gov/submit. Be sure to include the docket number appearing in 
the heading of this document on your comment. All comments received 
will be available for examination and copying at the above address from 
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. 
If you would like to be notified when your comment is received, you 
must include a self-addressed, stamped postcard or you may print the 
acknowledgment page that appears after submitting comments 
electronically.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James D. McCauley, (202) 366-0133, 
Office of Safety Programs, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590. Office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., e.t., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program.
    OMB Number: 2126-0010.
    Background: Sections 401-404 of the Surface Transportation 
Assistance Act of 1982 (STAA) established a program of financial 
assistance to States for the purpose of implementing programs to 
enforce: (a) Federal rules, regulations, standards and orders 
applicable to commercial motor vehicle safety; and (b) compatible State 
rules, regulations, standards and orders. This grant-in-aid program is 
known as the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. The Intermodal 
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) added programs, 
such as drug interdiction, traffic enforcement and size and weight 
activities to the core program established by the STAA.
    The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) further 
revised the MCSAP by broadening its purpose beyond enforcement 
activities and programs by requiring participating States to assume 
greater responsibility for improving motor carrier safety. The TEA-21 
required States to develop performance-based plans reflecting national 
priorities and performance goals, revised the MCSAP funding 
distribution formula and created a new incentive funding program. As a 
result, States are given greater flexibility in designing programs to 
address national and State goals for reducing the number and severity 
of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) accidents. The implementing 
regulations were published in the Federal Register on March 21, 2000 
(65 FR 15092).
    In order to qualify for a grant, participating States must submit a 
Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan (CVSP). After the grant is awarded, 
States must submit inspection data and quarterly reports explaining 
work activities and accomplishments. The FMCSA monitors and evaluates a 
State's progress under its approved CVSP. The agency also determines 
whether a change in the State's level of effort is required to meet the 
intended objectives of the CVSP. If a State fails to operate within the 
guidelines of the approved CVSP or does not remedy any identified 
deficiencies or incompatibilities in a timely manner, the FMCSA may 
cease participation in that State's CVSP. This information collection 
provides the basis for these responsibilities and decisions.
    States submit the CVSP in hard copy. The quarterly report and 
inspection data continue to be collected electronically. The estimated 
annual burden for this collection increases slightly due to a growing 
number of driver/vehicle inspections.
    Respondents: State and local MCSAP lead agencies.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 11,854 hours (Grant application 
preparation: 848 hours; quarterly report preparation: 339 hours; and 
inspection data upload: 10,667 hours). The above figures reflect 20 
percent of the total estimated hours to perform the activities listed 
since MCSAP reimburses up to 80 percent of the eligible costs incurred 
in the administration of an approved plan as set forth in 49 CFR 
350.303, 350.309 and 350.311.
    Public Comments Invited: We invite you to comment on 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 information collected.
    Electronic Access and Filing: You may submit or retrieve comments 
online through the Docket Management System (DMS) at http://dmses.dot.gov/submit. Acceptable formats include: MS Word (versions 95 
to 97), MS Word for Mac (versions 6 to 8), Rich Text File (RTF), 
American Standard Code Information Interchange (ASCII)(TXT), Portable 
Document Format (PDF), and WordPerfect (versions 7 to 8). The DMS is 
available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. Electronic submission 
and retrieval help and guidelines are available under the help section 
of the Web site. You may also download an electronic copy of this 
document from the DOT Docket Management System on the Internet at 
http://dms.dot.gov/search.htm. Please include the docket number 
appearing in the heading of this document.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.73.

    Issued on: April 7, 2004.
Annette M. Sandberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 04-8499 Filed 4-14-04; 8:45 am]
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