[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 243 (Monday, December 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78717-78718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32444]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket Nos. FMCSA-2006-26367 and FMCSA-2011-0131]


Public Meeting of a Joint Subcommittee of the Motor Carrier 
Safety Advisory Committee and the Medical Review Board; Obstructive 
Sleep Apnea

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

[[Page 78718]]


ACTION: Notice of Joint Subcommittee of the Meeting of Motor Carrier 
Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) and Medical Review Board (MRB).

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SUMMARY: FMCSA announces that MCSAC and MRB will hold a joint 
subcommittee meeting on Wednesday- Thursday, January 4-5, 2012. Both 
days of the meeting will be open to the public.
    Time and Dates: The joint MCSAC-MRB subcommittee meeting will be 
held on Wednesday-Thursday, January 4-5, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 
p.m., Eastern Time (E.T.). The meeting will be held at the Hilton 
Alexandria Old Town, 1767 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 in the 
Washington and Jefferson Rooms on the 2nd floor. The Hilton Alexandria 
Old Town is located across the street from the King Street Metro 
station.
    Matters To Be Considered: The MCSAC-MRB subcommittee will consider 
ideas and concepts the Agency should consider for potential regulatory 
changes to the current physical qualifications standards to address the 
medical certification process for truck and bus drivers that have been 
diagnosed with OSA or are believed to suffer from the disease but have 
not been diagnosed at the time of the medical examination. The 
subcommittee will make its recommendations to the MCSAC and MRB for 
their deliberation at a joint meeting of the two bodies in February 
2012. Upon approval by the MCSAC and MRB, the recommendations will be 
submitted to FMCSA for consideration. Copies of Task Statement 11-05 
and an agenda for the 2-day meeting will be made available on the MCSAC 
and MRB Web sites at http://mcsac.fmcsa.dot.gov and http://mrb.fmcsa.dot.gov, respectively.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Shannon L. Watson, Senior Advisor 
to the Associate Administrator for Policy, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, (202) 385-2395, [email protected].

Services for Individuals with Disabilities:

    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact 
Elizabeth Turner at (617) 494-2068, [email protected], by 
Wednesday, December 28, 2011.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

MCSAC

    Section 4144 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, Public Law 
109-59, 119 Stat. 1144, August 10, 2005) required the Secretary of 
Transportation to establish the MCSAC. The MCSAC provides advice and 
recommendations to the FMCSA Administrator on motor carrier safety 
programs and regulations, and operates in accordance with the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (FACA, 5 U.S.C. App 2).

MRB

    Section 4116 of the SAFETEA-LU requires the Secretary of 
Transportation, with the advice of the MRB, to ``establish, review, and 
revise medical standards for operators of CMVs that will ensure that 
the physical condition of operators of CMVs is adequate to enable them 
to operate the vehicles safely.'' On November 2, 2010, the Secretary of 
Transportation announced the five medical experts who serve on the MRB. 
FMCSA is planning revisions to the physical qualification regulations 
of CMV drivers, and the MRB will provide the necessary science-based 
guidance to establish realistic and responsible medical standards. The 
MRB operates in accordance with FACA.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

    The MCSAC and the MRB met jointly on December 7, 2011, to discuss 
ideas and concepts the Agency should consider for regulatory guidance 
and, potentially, for future rulemaking on OSA. The MCSAC and MRB 
completed their joint recommendation on regulatory guidance on OSA and 
issued a letter report at the end of the meeting. As a result of these 
discussions, a joint subcommittee was formed to develop ideas and 
concepts the Agency should consider for a potential notice-and-comment 
rulemaking to address the issue of OSA.

II. Meeting Participation

    Oral comments from the public will be heard during the last half-
hour of the meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. Members of the public 
may submit written comments on the topics to be considered during the 
meeting by Wednesday, December 28, 2011, to Federal Docket Management 
System (FDMC) Docket Number FMCSA-2006-26367 using any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., E.T. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

    Issued on: December 13, 2011.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011-32444 Filed 12-16-11; 8:45 am]
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