[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4322-4324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1440]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2006-24843]


Notice of Request for Clearance of a New Information Collection: 
Commercial Driver's License Program Improvements and Commercial 
Driver's License Information System Modernization

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

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This action informs the public that FMCSA intends to request 
that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve a new 
information collection required by the Commercial Driver's License 
Program Improvements (CDLPI) and the Commercial Driver's License 
Information System Modernization grant programs. That information 
consists of grant application preparation and quarterly reports. The 
CDLPI grant program also requires States' to conduct a self-assessment 
of their Commercial Driver's License (CDL) programs. This notice is 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments must be received by April 2, 2007.

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://dms.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 your comments 
electronically.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Lloyd Goldsmith, Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration, Office of Safety Programs, Commercial 
Driver's License Division (MC-ESL), 202-366-2964, 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: Commercial Driver's License Program Improvements and 
Commercial Driver's License Information System Modernization.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-xxxx.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Background: The CDL program was created by the Commercial Motor 
Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 (CMVSA) [Public Law 99-570, 100 Stat. 3207-
175, October 27, 1986] and its amending legislation. The goal of the 
CDL program is to improve highway safety by ensuring that drivers of 
large trucks and buses are qualified to operate those vehicles and to 
remove unsafe and unqualified drivers from the highways. CMVSA retained 
the States' right to issue a driver's license but established minimum 
national standards which States must meet when licensing commercial 
motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.
    In CMVSA, Congress found that one of the leading impacts to CMV 
safety was the possession of multiple licenses by commercial drivers. 
Multiple licenses allowed drivers to spread their traffic violations 
over a number of licenses and to maintain a ``good driver'' rating 
regardless of the number of violations they may have acquired in one or 
more States. In response to the States' concerns, CMVSA directed DOT to 
establish Federal minimum standards to correct the multiple license 
issue, testing and licensing to check a person's ability to operate the 
types of vehicle he/she plans to operate, and to ensure that a person 
with a bad driving record is prohibited from operating a CMV.
    These standards were designed to:
     Prohibit commercial drivers from possessing more than one 
CDL,
     Require that commercial drivers pass meaningful written 
and driving tests,
     Include special qualifications for hazardous materials 
drivers, and
     Establish disqualifications and penalties for drivers 
convicted of the traffic violations specified in 49 CFR 383.51.
    States that failed to comply with the requirements imposed by DOT 
would be subject to withholding of a percentage of their Federal-aid 
highway funds. To enable the States to fully implement the provisions 
of CMVSA, Congress

[[Page 4323]]

authorized DOT to enter into an agreement for the operation of a 
national non-Federal information system to serve as a clearinghouse and 
depository of information pertaining to the licensing and 
identification of operators of CMVs and the disqualification of such 
operators from operating CMVs. CDLIS is operated by the American 
Association of Motor Vehicles Administrators, an organization that 
represents the States' driver licensing and motor vehicle agencies.
    State driver licensing databases (including that of the District of 
Columbia) and the CDLIS Central Site (Central Site) hold the data to 
support the CDL program. The Central Site only serves as a pointer to 
the current State of Record--the State where the driver's data is kept, 
including convictions, crashes, and withdrawals from all previous 
States. The Central Site is only updated when there is a name, date of 
birth, social security number, State, or driver license number change. 
All other data changes happen within and between States. The Central 
Site information ensures that the driver has only one CDL and that all 
current and history information on that driver resides in the database 
of the current State of Record.
    The Agency has been providing grant funds to States to support CDL 
program activities since the inception of the program through the Motor 
Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP). The burden for the 
information collection associated with this program is currently 
captured under information collection number 2126-0010.
    Section 4124 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) [Public Law 
109-59, 119 Stat. 1736, August 10, 2005] established the CDLPI grants 
to implement the requirements of the CDL program resulting from CMVSA. 
Section 4123 of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1734) established the CDLIS 
Modernization grants to develop a comprehensive national plan to 
modernize the existing CDL information system. SAFETEA-LU specifies 
specific data collection for the CDLPI grant program that is unique to 
that grant. This new information collection request will provide for 
the collection of the SAFETEA-LU mandated information for the CDLPI 
program and the information for the new CDLIS Modernization grant 
program.
    CMVSA authorized DOT, working in partnership with the States, to 
assist the States in implementation of the CDL program by expending $60 
million in order to meet the goals established by Congress. These funds 
were to be used to:
     Develop the knowledge and skills tests,
     Create a CDLIS telecommunications network connecting all 
State Departments of Motor Vehicles (State DMVs),
     Create national computer software to support each State in 
sharing information between the State DMVs,
     Implement the testing and licensing procedures of each 
State, and
     Implement in each State an information system that would 
support the program.
    Congress continued to provide funding in subsequent years to 
improve the program or to implement new program initiatives and systems 
enhancements mandated by subsequent legislation.
    This notice proposes that, in order to qualify for a grant, a State 
must submit an application with budget information and a self-
assessment of its CDL program. In addition, this notice proposes that 
after the grant is awarded, a State must submit quarterly reports 
explaining its work activities and its accomplishments. FMCSA will 
monitor and evaluate a State's progress under its approved grant 
project. If a State fails to operate within the guidelines of the 
approved grant or does not remedy any identified deficiencies or 
incompatibilities in a timely manner, FMCSA may terminate the grant 
project. This proposed information collection would provide FMCSA with 
the information that serves as the basis for these responsibilities and 
decisions.
    It is proposed that a State may submit its grant application 
electronically using grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/Apply?campaignid=tabnavtracking 081105). A State may submit its 
quarterly reports using e-mail.
    Proposed Form MCSA-5842, Grant Application Continuation Sheet (CDL-
3), would be submitted with the CDLPI and CDLIS Modernization grant 
proposals. It supplements the information on SF-424, Application for 
Federal Assistance, with the information necessary to evaluate the 
grant proposal for conformity with congressionally-mandated eligibility 
criteria in SAFETEA-LU. This new form includes the congressionally-
mandated Maintenance of Expenditures and is based on Part Two: Writing 
The Grant Proposal from Developing and Writing Grant Proposals on The 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Web site [http://www.cfda.gov] modified to provide the information necessary to monitor 
project execution.
    Proposed Form MCSA-5843, Budget Detail Worksheet (CDL-4), is 
submitted with the CDLPI and CDLIS Modernization grant proposals. This 
budget worksheet collects detailed budget information not provided on 
SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs. As a result, 
the SF-424A will not be required. This new form was based on the 
expired (OJP Form 7150/1) (fillable) Budget Detail Worksheet.
    Proposed Form MCSA-5844, Self-Assessment of State CDL Program (CDL-
5), is submitted with the CDLPI grant proposals. This structured self-
assessment instrument will allow FMCSA to link grant proposals to 
improvement needs identified by the State and for cross comparisons 
among States. SAFETEA-LU requires States to submit an assessment of 
their CDL programs as part of the application for CDLPI grants.
    These forms are intended to be completed on grants.gov during the 
application process. The header information on each form would 
automatically be completed with information from the SF-424.

CDLPI Grants

    Respondents: State CDL lead agencies (the 50 States and the 
District of Columbia).
    Number of Respondents (for the CDLPI grants): 51 (per year and per 
quarter).
    Frequency (for the CDLPI grants): Annual application with quarterly 
reports.
    Estimated Time Per Response (for the CDLPI grants): 56 hours (30 
hours to prepare the annual grant application, 10 hours to complete the 
self assessment of the State CDL Program, and 4 hours to prepare each 
quarterly report (4 x 4 = 16 hours)).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden (for the CDLPI grants): 2,856 hours 
(51 respondents x 56 hours per response).

CDLIS Modernization Grants

    Number of Respondents (for the CDLIS Modernization grants): 51 (per 
year and per quarter).
    Frequency (for the CDLIS Modernization grants): Annual application 
with quarterly reports.
    Estimated Time Per Response (for the CDLIS Modernization grants): 
46 hours (30 hours to prepare the annual grant application and 4 hours 
to prepare each quarterly report (4 x 4 = 16 hours)).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden (for the CDLIS Modernization grants): 
2,346 hours (51 respondents x 46 hours per response).

[[Page 4324]]

    Combined Total Annual Burden: 5,202 hours (2,856 hours CDLPI 
Estimated Total Annual Burden + 2,346 hours CDLIS Modernization 
Estimated Total Annual Burden).

Public Comments Invited

    Your comments are invited on whether the collection of information 
is necessary for FMCSA to meet its goal of reducing truck crashes, 
including:
     Whether the information is useful to this goal;
     The accuracy of the estimated burden of the information 
collection;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

Electronic Access and Filing

    You may submit or retrieve comments online through the Docket 
Management System (DMS) at http://dms.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 or 8). 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 DMS on the 
Internet at http://dms.dot.gov/search. Please include the docket number 
appearing in the heading of this document.

    Issued on: January 23, 2007.
John H. Hill,
Administrator.
 [FR Doc. E7-1440 Filed 1-29-07; 8:45 am]
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