[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 202 (Thursday, October 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61823-61824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-17451]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2006-25652]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Request for Comments; 
Notice of Intent To Survey Motor Carriers Operating Small Passenger-
Transporting Commercial Motor Vehicles

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FMCSA invites comments about our intention to request the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a new information 
collection. The new information collection is associated with an agency 
study by a research contractor which will investigate motor carriers 
that operate small passenger-transporting commercial motor vehicles 
(CMVs). The collected information would assist FMCSA with outreach 
initiatives to these newly regulated motor carriers of passengers. This 
notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 18, 2006.

ADDRESSES: All comments should reference Docket No. FMCSA-2006-25652. 
You may 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; telefax comments to 202/493-2251; or 
submit electronically at http://dms.dot.gov. You may examine and copy 
all comments received at the above address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. If you desire your 
comment to be acknowledged, you must include a self-addressed stamped 
envelope or postcard or, if you submit your comments electronically, 
you may print the acknowledgment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Peter Chandler, Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration, Office of Enforcement and Compliance, 
Commercial Passenger Carrier Safety Division, Washington, DC 20590, 
phone (202) 366-5763, fax (202) 366-3621, e-mail 
[email protected], Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 12, 2003, FMCSA published a final 
rule (68 FR 47860) which required motor carriers operating CMVs, 
designed or used to transport between 9 and 15 passengers (including 
the driver), in interstate commerce to comply with the parts 391 
through 396 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) 
when they are directly compensated for such services, and the vehicle 
is operated beyond a 75 air-mile radius from the driver's normal work-
reporting location. Affected motor carriers were required to be in 
compliance with such regulations by December 10, 2003. This rule 
implemented section 212 of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 
1999. Section 4136 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU) directed 
FMCSA to remove the 75 air-mile radius standard. This legislation will 
result in a greater number of motor carriers that operate small 
passenger-transporting CMVs, being subject to the FMCSRs. In order to 
effectively inform these motor carriers of the regulatory requirements 
that they will become subject to, and administer an effective 
educational outreach program to this entire industry segment, FMCSA 
needs information about all of these motor carriers.
    Because motor carriers that operate small passenger-carrying CMVs 
have either been newly regulated or will be regulated in the near 
future, FMCSA wants to learn about the safety and/or regulatory 
compliance challenges of this industry segment. There is no motor 
carrier industry association that is comprised mostly of commercial 
companies that primarily operate 9-15 passenger-carrying vehicles. This 
situation makes obtaining information about this industry segment more 
difficult and necessitates the assistance of a researcher to obtain 
information needed by FMCSA to effectively provide outreach to these 
newly regulated carriers. FMCSA will request a research contractor to 
obtain information about motor carriers with small passenger-
transporting CMV operations. The research contractor will collect 
information through approximately 50 telephone interviews and 8 site 
visits at places of business. Information obtained from the study will 
provide insight into the common safety and regulatory compliance 
challenges facing motor carriers with small passenger-transporting CMV 
operations. Such information will be utilized by FMCSA to develop 
educational outreach initiatives for this newly regulated industry 
segment.
    Title: Survey of Motor Carriers with Small Passenger Vehicle 
Operations.
    Type of Information Collection Request: New one-time survey/
information collection.
    Respondents: For-hire motor carriers that operate 9-15 passenger-
carrying vehicles in interstate commerce.
    Number of Respondents: 50 motor carriers.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: The estimated average burden 
per response for each telephone survey is 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: The estimated total annual burden is 
25 hours for the information collection based upon an acceptable level 
of statistical significance and a confidence interval of 13.6 percent.
    Total Annual Burden: 25 hours [(50 responses x 30 minutes per 
response)/60 minutes = 25 hours].

[[Page 61824]]

    Frequency: This information collection will be a single, 
nonrecurring event.

Public Comments Invited

    Interested parties are invited to send comments regarding any 
aspect of this information collection, including but not limited to: 
(1) The necessity and utility of the information collection for the 
proper performance of the functions of FMCSA and specifically the 
regulatory oversight of small passenger-transporting commercial motor 
vehicle operations; (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. Comments submitted 
in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the 
request for OMB's clearance of this information collection. For access 
to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to 
http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL-401 on the plaza level of 
the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

    Issued on: October 12, 2006
John H. Hill,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-17451 Filed 10-18-06; 8:45 am]
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