[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 11, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59851-59853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-16683]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2006-25976]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments 
for a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our request for the 
Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new information 
collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 
We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by November 13, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments within 30 days to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: DOT Desk 
Officer. You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information 
collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed collection is necessary 
for the FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; 
(3) ways for the FHWA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity 
of the collected information; and (4) ways that the burden could be 
minimized, including the use of electronic technology, without reducing 
the quality of the collected information. All comments should include 
the Docket number FHWA-2006-25976.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James March, 202-366-9237, or William 
Linde, 202-366-9637, Office of Transportation Policy Studies, Federal

[[Page 59852]]

Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: National Evaluation of a Mileage-Based Road User Charge.
    Background: Section 1919 of The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users of 2005 
(SAFETEA-LU) requires the Secretary of the Department of Transportation 
to submit annual reports and a final report to the Secretary of the 
Treasury, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the 
Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives; the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Finance 
of the Senate on the results of an analysis of highway vehicle mileage 
data collected to assess a mileage-based approach to collecting highway 
use fees. Specifically, the Act requires:

SEC. 1919. Road User Fees.

    (a) STUDY.--The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the 
Public Policy Center of the University of Iowa for an analysis and 
report to the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury on a long-
term field test of an approach to assessing highway use fees based upon 
actual mileage driven by a specific vehicle on specific types of 
highways by use of an onboard computer--
    (1) Which is linked to satellites to calculate highway mileage 
traversed; 
    (2) Which computes the appropriate highway use fees for each of the 
Federal, State, and local governments as the vehicle makes use of the 
highways; 
    (3) The data from which is periodically downloaded by the vehicle 
owner to a collection center for an assessment of highway use fees due 
in each jurisdiction traversed; and 
    (4) Which includes methods of ensuring privacy of road users. 
    The Secretary has assigned the execution and management of the 
agreement with the University of Iowa to the Office of Policy of the 
Federal Highway Administration. This study will include 200 
participants in the first year and 250 participants in the second year 
in each of six geographic regions of the country who have been 
recruited through radio, television, and print media. Persons selected 
to participate in the field-testing will have agreed to have the 
necessary on-board computer technology installed in their personal 
vehicles for testing the mileage data collection technology. Field-
testing will be conducted over 2 years with a new set of participants 
in each year, 1,200 in the first year and 1,500 in the second. The 
participants will be asked to provide information every 2 months over 
the course of their participation in the field test in order to collect 
data that provides for an analysis of participant opinion on different 
aspects of the field test, such as privacy of data, level of detail of 
data transmitted to collection center, billing transmittal, among 
others. The participants will have a choice of providing their 
information by means of telephone, internet, or printed survey.
    The FHWA published notice of this new information collection and 
requested comments on the bi-monthly survey component of the study in 
the Federal Register [71 FR 38206, July 5, 2006]. This notice includes 
information on the recruitment and Global Positioning System 
installation that was omitted in the initial notice, as well as the 
information on the survey collection that was included in the initial 
notice.
    In order to meet the requirements of the Study, the Public Policy 
Center must recruit and select field test participants. The recruitment 
effort will include advertising in radio, television, and print media 
seeking individuals to participate in the study. It is expected that in 
order to achieve the University of Iowa's goal of selecting a total of 
2,700 individuals, 1,200 in the first year and 1,500 in the second, to 
participate in two field tests of 1 year each, the number of 
individuals responding to the recruitment effort will be 15,000. Of 
these, an estimated 12,000 will pass through the first qualification 
screen and therefore be eligible to become candidates for participating 
in the field study. Those eligible candidates selected to participate 
in the study will receive training on the study and their participation 
in it. It will be necessary to install on-board computer systems in the 
vehicles of those individuals selected to participate, and to remove 
the systems at the end of the individuals' participation in the study.
    The transfer of data from the on-board computer system to the data 
collection center will be done remotely and require no action on the 
part of the field test participant.
    The individuals selected to participate in the field testing will 
be asked to provide information every 2 months over the course of their 
participation in the field test in order to collect data that provides 
for an analysis of participant opinion on different aspects of the 
field test, such as privacy of data, level of detail of data 
transmitted to the collection center, billing transmittal, among 
others. The participants will have a choice of providing their 
information by means of telephone, internet, or printed survey.
    Respondents: Approximately 6,625 respondents to the multi-media 
recruitment campaign are expected for the first year's effort and 
approximately 8,375 for the second year's effort--a total of 
approximately 15,000 for the two recruitment efforts.
    Of the respondents to the recruitment campaigns, approximately 
5,300 are expected to pass through the initial qualification screening 
in the first year, and therefore eligible to participate in the field 
testing, and approximately 6,700 in the second year, a total of 
approximately 12,000 over the 2-year field-testing period.
    Approximately 1,200 field test participants in the first year of 
field testing and 1,500 in the second year for a total of approximately 
2,700 over the 2-year field testing period will receive training on 
study participation prior to their entrance into the field-testing 
phase. They will have on-board computer systems installed in their 
vehicles at the beginning of their participation and removed at the 
conclusion of their participation. Over the course of the field-
testing, participants will be surveyed once every 2 months, for a total 
of six collections from each over the course of their participation in 
the study.
    Frequency: Each field test year's recruitment, selection, and 
training efforts will occur once, for a total of two efforts over the 
course of the study.
    Each participant will have on-board computer systems installed in 
their vehicle once at the beginning of their participation and removed 
once from their vehicle at the conclusion of their participation.
    Each participant will be surveyed once every 2 months, for a total 
of six collections over the course of their participation in the study.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: The average amount of time 
spent by a prospective field-test participant in responding to the 
multi-media recruitment campaign is expected to be 5 minutes. The 
average time for individuals proceeding to additional screening for 
inclusion in the study is expected to be 15 minutes. The total amount 
of time for each individual spent in the recruitment process for 
participants in the study is expected to be 20 minutes.
    Respondents selected for inclusion in the study will spend 5 
minutes on average scheduling the training session and the training 
session itself will last 60 minutes. The total amount of time for each 
individual spent in the training

[[Page 59853]]

phase of the study is expected to be 65 minutes.
    The average amount of time required for participants to make their 
vehicle available for installation of the on-board computer system is 
expected to be 90 minutes. The average amount of time for removal is 
expected to be 60 minutes. The total amount of time for each individual 
spent making their vehicle available for on-board system installation 
and removal is 150 minutes.
    The average amount of time to respond to the first five bi-monthly 
survey collections over the course of the field study is 15 minutes. 
The average amount of time to respond to the exit survey collection at 
the end of the field study is 30 minutes. The average total time spent 
responding to surveys for participants over their involvement in the 
study is 105 minutes.
    The total amount of time for a respondent not selected to 
participate in the study is expected to be 5 minutes.
    The total amount of time spent by a field-test participant who 
completes the study is expected to be 340 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Approximately 552 hours in the 
first year and 698 in the second year for a total of 1,250 hours over 
the course of the study for the response to the recruitment campaign.
    Approximately 1,325 hours in the first year and 1,675 in the second 
year for a total of 3,000 over the course of the study for the 
additional screening to be selected for inclusion in the study.
    Approximately 1,300 hours in the first year and 1,625 in the second 
year for a total of 2,925 hours over the course of the study for 
participant training.
    Approximately 3,000 hours in the first year and 3,750 in the second 
year for a total of 6,750 hours over the course of the study for the 
installation and removal of the on-board computer systems to and from 
the participants' vehicles.
    Approximately 2,100 hours in the first year and 2,625 hours in the 
second year for a total of 4,725 hours over the course of the study for 
the survey collections.
    Total annual burden hours in the first year are expected to be 
8,277. Total annual burden hours in the second year are expected to be 
10,373 for a total of 18,650 hours over the course of the study.
    Electronic Access: Internet users may access all comments received 
by the U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, by using the universal resource 
locator (URL): http://dms.dot.gov, 24 hours each day, 365 days each 
year. Please follow the instructions online for more information and 
help.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued On: October 3, 2006.
James R. Kabel,
Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-16683 Filed 10-10-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P