[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 127 (Friday, July 1, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 38597-38598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16548]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
49 CFR Parts 383 and 390
[Docket No. FMCSA-2011-0146]
Regulatory Guidance: Applicability of the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Regulations to Operators of Certain Farm Vehicles and Off-Road
Agricultural Equipment
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice; extension of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: FMCSA extends the public comment period for its May 31, 2011,
notice concerning regulatory guidance on the applicability of the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to operators of certain farm
vehicles and off-road agricultural equipment. The public comment period
is extended from June 30, 2011, to August 1, 2011.
DATES: Comments on the notice must be received on or before August 1,
2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Federal Docket
Management System Number FMCSA-2011-0146 by any of the following
methods
Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on the Federal electronic docket
site.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington,
DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery: Ground Floor, Room W12-140, DOT Building,
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and
docket number. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and
additional information on the exemption process, see the ``Public
Participation'' heading below. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided. Please see the ``Privacy Act'' heading
below.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to
the ground floor, room W12-140, DOT Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., e.t., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
Privacy Act System of Records Notice for the DOT Federal Docket
Management System published in the Federal Register on January 17, 2008
(73 FR 3316) or you may visit http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-785.pdf.
Public Participation: The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is
generally available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. You can
obtain electronic submission and retrieval help and guidelines under
the ``help'' section of the http://www.regulations.gov Web site and
also at the DOT's http://docketsinfo.dot.gov Web site. If you want us
to notify you that we received your comments, please include a self-
addressed, stamped envelope or postcard or print the acknowledgement
page that appears after submitting comments online.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas L. Yager, Chief, Driver and
Carrier Operations Division, Office of Bus and Truck Standards and
[[Page 38598]]
Operations, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New
Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590.
E-mail: [email protected]. Phone (202) 366-4325.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On May 31, 2011 (76 FR 31279), FMCSA published a notice requesting
public comment on: (1) Previously published regulatory guidance on the
distinction between interstate and intrastate commerce in deciding
whether operations of commercial motor vehicles within the boundaries
of a single State are subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulations; (2) proposed guidance on the relevance of the distinction
between direct and indirect compensation in deciding whether farm
vehicle drivers transporting agricultural commodities, farm supplies
and equipment as part of a crop share agreement are subject to the
commercial driver's license regulations; and, (3) proposed guidance to
determine whether off-road farm equipment or implements of husbandry
operated on public roads for limited distances are considered
commercial motor vehicles. The Agency indicated the guidance would be
used to help ensure uniform application of the safety regulations by
enforcement personnel, motor carriers and commercial motor vehicle
drivers.
Since the publication of the notice, the Agency has received a
letter signed by 18 U.S. Senators and numerous requests from the
agricultural industry to extend the comment period. The Senators and
industry acknowledged the importance of the issues covered by the
notice and requested additional time to provide farmers, many of whom
have planting and harvesting responsibilities during this time of the
year, additional time to review the notice and consider the likely
impacts of the guidance on their operations. Copies of the requests for
an extension of the comment period are included in the docket
referenced at the beginning of this notice.
The FMCSA acknowledges the concerns of the U.S. Senators and
farmers and extends the public comment period from June 30, 2011 to
August 1, 2011. The Agency will consider all comments received by close
of business on August 1, 2011. Comments will be available for
examination in the docket at the location listed under the Addresses
section of this notice. The Agency will consider to the extent
practicable comments received in the public docket after the closing
date of the comment period.
Issued on: June 27, 2011.
William Bronrott,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-16548 Filed 6-30-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P