[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25885-25887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6598]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration


Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) 
Modernization Plan

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

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) plans 
to modernize the Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) 
in response to Title IV (Motor Carrier Safety Reauthorization Act of 
2005) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation 
Equity Act: a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which was signed into law 
on August 10, 2005. As required by SAFETEA-LU, the modernization plan 
must: (a) Comply with applicable Federal information technology 
security standards; (b) provide for the electronic exchange of all 
information, including posting of convictions; (c) contain self-
auditing features to ensure that data is being posted correctly and 
consistently by the States; (d) integrate the commercial driver's 
license and medical certificate; and (e) provide a schedule for 
modernization of the system. SAFETEA-LU authorizes a total of $28 
million (FY 2006-2009) to carry out this project. This notice publishes 
the plan which provides an overview of the key tasks associated with 
the CDLIS Modernization project, and will result in a system that 
satisfies the criteria specified in section 4123 of SAFETEA-LU.

DATES: The dates associated with this effort assume that a grant will 
be awarded by FMCSA to the American Association of Motor Vehicle 
Administrators (AAMVA) so that the CDLIS Modernization effort can begin 
in May 2006. Under this plan, all States will implement the modernized 
CDLIS software by December 2010. However, FMCSA will adjust dates and 
project activities based on actual funds appropriated and other needs 
identified during the course of the project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dominick Spataro, Division Chief, 
Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Division (MC-ESL), 400 Seventh Street 
SW., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: (202) 366-2995. E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Key Tasks

1. Systems Analysis

    FMCSA estimates that the systems analysis stage will take 
approximately one year to complete. This initial stage is composed of 
the following phases:
Project Definition/Solution Planning Phase (May 2006-July 2006)
    AAMVA will prepare a comprehensive project definition as a 
deliverable of this phase. The CDLIS Modernization stakeholders will be 
representatives from the States, FMCSA, other government agencies, the 
motor carrier industry, law enforcement, Canada, Mexico, and AAMVA, and 
will be invited to participate throughout the process. This 
participation is crucial as stakeholder input will help to identify 
existing problems, and develop and implement needed improvements. 
Systems analysts will prepare and then review the project definition 
report before publishing a final draft version. AAMVA will deliver the 
final draft to the key project stakeholders for review. AAMVA will then 
deliver the final draft to FMCSA representatives for review and 
approval.
    During the Project Definition/Solution Planning phase, AAMVA will 
develop the master project plan and outline the project tasks and sub-
tasks at a detailed level. AAMVA will evaluate timelines and other 
factors and assign resources. AAMVA will create a master project plan 
in Microsoft Project and deliver it to the key stakeholders. AAMVA will 
establish one or more Working Groups

[[Page 25886]]

(WG) in this phase based on the approach. The Project Definition/
Solution Planning Phase will result in the project kickoff meeting and 
refinements to the project definition report and the master project 
plan.
Requirements Definition Phase (May 2006-February 2007)
    The Requirements Definition Phase will establish the foundation of 
the project. During this phase, the business requirements will be 
evaluated and documented. These include: Requirements for modernized 
CDLIS processes and reporting, the technical environment, business 
rules, procedures, performance indices, interfaces with third party 
applications, and the impact on State systems supporting CDLIS. The 
requirements will specify that the CDLIS program take into 
consideration and address SAFETEA-LU provisions, specifically that the 
program: (a) Complies with applicable Federal information technology 
security standards; (b) provides for the electronic exchange of all 
information, including posting of convictions; (c) contains self-
auditing features to ensure that data is being posted correctly and 
consistently by the States; and (d) integrates the commercial driver's 
license and medical certificate. The requirements will also incorporate 
recommendations from the baseline audit of the current CDLIS 
information system, which is required by section 4123 of SAFETEA-LU, 
and will seek to incorporate findings and recommendations from the 
Commercial Driver's License task force required to be convened by the 
Secretary under section 4135 of SAFETEA-LU. This task force will study 
and address current impediments and foreseeable challenges to the 
commercial driver's license program's effectiveness and measures needed 
to realize the full safety potential of the commercial driver's license 
program.
    Requirements for CDLIS modernization will be gathered by different 
activities involving the stakeholders and existing CDLIS users. The 
goal is to address known issues and problems with the existing CDLIS 
environment and implement the enhancements mandated by Congress. This 
will create a modernized CDLIS that supports FMCSA's goals to increase 
highway safety and reduce fatalities through improved oversight of 
commercial drivers. Specifically, the modernized system will facilitate 
the exchange of commercial driver's license information among State 
driver's licensing agencies, law enforcement, and FMCSA. AAMVA will 
conduct meetings, forums, conference calls, and site visits involving 
the users and stakeholders of the existing CDLIS. AAMVA will take 
advantage of the following meetings in 2006 to pursue CDLIS 
modernization requirements:
     AAMVA Regional Meetings--Summer 2006. AAMVA is organized 
geographically into four regions. Each region meets annually to discuss 
major issues and share solutions to common problems. The membership 
includes technical specialists, and law enforcement and State driver 
licensing administrators and representatives.
     CDL Coordinator's Meeting--Fall 2006. This is a gathering 
of State representatives who work directly with CDLIS and have 
responsibility for the oversight of CDL programs within their States. 
The group includes driver licensing representatives, technical 
specialists, and law enforcement.
     CDLIS Modernization Conference Calls--Ongoing. As 
requirements are identified, AAMVA will conduct conference calls to 
inform the States and solicit feedback regarding the impact of the 
requirements. These will begin as monthly calls in May 2006 and then 
increase in frequency to biweekly calls and weekly calls as needed.
     CDLIS Modernization Working Group--Ongoing. The Working 
Group formed during the Project Definition/Solution Planning Phase will 
meet weekly by conference call and bimonthly for face-to-face meetings. 
The conference calls and meetings of the Working Group will continue 
throughout the duration of the project.
    AAMVA will develop a comprehensive requirements definition document 
and deliver it to the key stakeholders as the major deliverable from 
this phase.
Functional Specifications Phase (November 2006-April 2007)
    As the business requirements gathering and documentation nears 
completion, AAMVA will begin developing the functional specifications 
for a modernized CDLIS. AAMVA will use the business requirements 
captured during the Requirements Definition phase and transform each 
into a functional specification for a modernized CDLIS. These 
functional specifications provide details regarding the requirements 
for the functions of the CDLIS Central Site and also the dependent 
functions for State systems supporting CDLIS. The functional 
specifications provide direction to the technical teams at AAMVA and 
the States to guide them with the technical designs to transition the 
existing CDLIS into a modernized system.
External (Technical) Design Phase (December 2006-June 2007)
    During this stage, functional specifications will be transformed 
into a comprehensive technical design. AAMVA will develop the technical 
design for the modernized CDLIS Central Site and teams working at the 
State level will address the technical design for those systems that 
will need to support and interface with the modernized CDLIS. Technical 
programmers at the central site and State level will use these 
specifications to produce the software that will constitute the 
modernized CDLIS.
Procedure Design Phase (July 2007-December 2007)
    In parallel with the External (Technical) Design phase, the 
functional specifications will be evaluated to address those aspects of 
a modernized CDLIS that do not involve automated computer-based code. 
This pertains to the business procedures that support all of the 
activities involved in managing the Commercial Drivers Licensing 
program at the State and Federal level. As the modernized CDLIS is 
deployed, stakeholders will need to alter their business procedures to 
take advantage of the capabilities and support provided by a modernized 
CDLIS.

2. States to Apply for Federal Grants (2007-2009)

    The functional specifications and external and procedure designs 
that result from the system analysis phase will be provided to the 
States. This will help them determine the scope of the functional 
enhancements or changes to their respective applications with reference 
to the CDLIS modernization project. Based on the level of effort 
required for the CDLIS modernization project, States may be reimbursed 
by FMCSA for as much as 80 percent of the FMCSA-approved, eligible 
costs.

3. Programming

Central Site Programming (March 2007-February 2009)
    During this stage, AAMVA will develop the software for the 
modernized CDLIS Central Site. The main tasks of the programming stage 
at all levels include coding, unit testing, and integration testing. 
Coding involves programmers writing the code to implement the logic 
that will provide the functionality of the modernized CDLIS. The 
programmer will conduct unit testing to ensure that the code satisfies 
the requirements and technical design as specified. Integration testing 
will ensure that the components of the

[[Page 25887]]

system, produced by multiple programmers, function properly together 
and in accordance with the specifications. The central site programming 
is expected to take between two and three years to complete.
State Application Programming (June 2007-March 2009)
    In parallel to the central site programming, the States will 
initiate their programming effort to incorporate the newly added or 
modified CDLIS business functions into their applications. Each State 
will be responsible for developing and executing its own project plan 
at all levels (that is, coding, unit testing, integration testing, 
etc.) of the CDLIS modernization project.


    Note: Duration for the application programming will vary from 
State to State. The plan uses approximately four years as the 
overall duration for all of the States to complete the application 
programming.

4. Acceptance Testing (June 2007-March 2009)

    As the integration testing in the programming stage nears 
completion, AAMVA will begin formal acceptance testing of the software 
for the modernized CDLIS Central Site. In parallel with this activity 
at the central site, States will conduct acceptance testing of the code 
at the State level to support the modernized CDLIS. The States will 
execute specific test scenarios to ensure that the CDLIS Central Site 
functions in accordance with the specifications.

5. Develop State-Structured Test Plans (October 2008-March 2009)

    States will complete coding and testing at the State level, but 
this code will need to undergo structured testing by AAMVA before it 
can be placed into the modernized CDLIS environment. This ensures that 
a State's code works properly according to the specifications and 
prevents the possibility of faulty State code disrupting the entire 
CDLIS environment. Structured testing is a series of test cases 
designed by AAMVA that a State must successfully execute in order to 
have its code certified for production. This activity covers the design 
of the test cases and data by AAMVA to support structured testing.

6. State-Structured Testing (March 2009-December 2010)

    This activity is the implementation of the State-structured test 
plans developed in the previous activity. It includes the actual 
structured testing of their modernized CDLIS code by each State. AAMVA 
and State personnel will work together to execute the structured test 
cases and to monitor the results. After a State completes the required 
structured testing, its code can become part of the modernized CDLIS 
environment. All States are projected to have completed structured 
testing and to be operational in the modernized CDLIS production 
environment by December 2010.

7. Network Upgrade To Provide Encryption (May 2006-April 2009)

    The original CDLIS was developed when computer technology was much 
less sophisticated and the methods and techniques of those seeking to 
illegally access or damage data systems were less advanced. A 
modernized CDLIS must include additional precautions to safeguard its 
operation and to ensure that the data it manages is not compromised. 
This task covers the activity needed to provide encryption of the data 
traveling across the network as it is communicated from State to State 
in the normal operation of CDLIS.

8. Grant Management (2007-2010)

    Modernizing CDLIS at the State level requires time, resources, and 
budgetary support. States can submit a plan to FMCSA to identify the 
scope of the activity at the State level required to modernize CDLIS 
and to quantify the amount of assistance required. Following approval, 
FMCSA will manage the invoicing and reimbursement activity associated 
with the States accomplishing their plans for modernizing CDLIS.

9. Consultation With Safety Representatives

    SAFETEA-LU specifies that in developing the plan, FMCSA will 
consult with representatives of the motor carrier industry, State 
licensing agencies, and State safety enforcement agencies. Consistent 
with this requirement, FMCSA has worked closely with AAMVA to develop 
this plan and will request its assistance in managing the project. 
Additionally, FMCSA has contacted a variety of interested safety 
representatives, including the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, 
International Registration Plan, Inc., International Association of 
Chiefs of Police, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, 
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, American Trucking Associations, 
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, National Tank Truck 
Carriers, Inc., American Bus Association, United Motorcoach 
Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the 
National Governors Association to request their participation in 
reviewing the modernization plan. The national organizations expanded 
the consultative and review process by sharing our plan with their 
membership. Comments received were supportive of our efforts and plan.

    Issued on: April 26, 2006.
Warren E. Hoemann,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-6598 Filed 5-1-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P