[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 59 (Friday, March 27, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 16354-16355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07054]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 350

[Docket No. FMCSA-2014-0470]


State Inspection Programs for Passenger-Carrying Vehicles; 
Listening Session

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

ACTION: Notice of public listening session.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: FMCSA announces that it will hold a public listening session 
on April 14, 2015, to solicit information concerning section 32710 of 
the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). This 
provision requires FMCSA to complete a rulemaking proceeding to 
consider requiring States to establish a program for annual inspections 
of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) designed or used to transport 
passengers. Additionally, under MAP-21, FMCSA must assess the risks 
associated with improperly maintained or inspected CMVs designed or 
used to transport passengers; the effectiveness of existing Federal 
standards for the inspection of such vehicles in mitigating the risks 
associated with improperly maintained vehicles and ensuring the safe 
and proper operation condition of such vehicles; and the costs and 
benefits of a mandatory inspection program. Any data regarding this 
topic would be appreciated. The session will be held at the Commercial 
Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) workshop in Jacksonville, Florida. All 
comments will be transcribed and placed in the docket referenced above 
for FMCSA's consideration. The entire proceeding will be webcast.

DATES: The listening session will be held on Tuesday, April 14, 2015, 
from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Local Time.

ADDRESSES: The listening session will be held at the Hyatt Regency 
Jacksonville Riverfront, 225 East Coastline Drive, Jacksonville, FL 
32202, in the Clearwater Ballroom. In addition to attending the session 
in person, the Agency offers several ways to provide comments, as 
enumerated below.
    Internet Address for Live Webcast. FMCSA will post specific 
information on how to participate via the Internet on the FMCSA Web 
site at www.fmcsa.dot.gov in advance of the listening sessions.
    You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FMCSA-2014-0470 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Each submission must include the Agency name and the docket number 
for this notice. Note that DOT posts all comments received, without 
change, to www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
included in a comment. Please see the Privacy Act heading below. To 
avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. See the 
``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for instructions on submitting 
comments.
     Docket: For access to the docket to read background 
documents or comments, go to www.regulations.gov at any time or visit 
Room W12-140 on the ground level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., ET, Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. The online Federal document 
management system is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. 
If you would like acknowledgment that the Agency received your 
comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard 
or print

[[Page 16355]]

the acknowledgment page that appears after submitting comments on-line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannon L. Watson, Senior Policy 
Advisor, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001 or by telephone at 202-366-2551. 
If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, 
contact Docket Services, telephone (202) 366-9826.
    If you need sign language interpretation or any other accessibility 
accommodations, please contact Ms. Watson by close of business on 
Wednesday, April 8, 2015, to allow us to arrange for such services. 
FMCSA cannot guarantee that interpreter services requested on short 
notice will be provided.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
notice (FMCSA-2014-0470), and provide a reason for each suggestion or 
recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online or by 
fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only one of these means. 
FMCSA recommends that you include your name and a mailing address, an 
email address, or a phone number in the body of your document so that 
FMCSA can contact you if there are questions regarding your submission.
    To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
put the docket number, FMCSA-2014-0470, in the keyword box, and click 
``Search.'' When the new screen appears, click on the ``Comment Now!'' 
button and type your comment into the text box on the following screen. 
Choose whether you are submitting your comment as an individual or on 
behalf of a third party and then submit. If you submit your comments by 
mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 
8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you 
submit comments by mail and would like to know that they reached the 
facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or 
envelope.
    We will consider all comments and material received during the 
comment period and may draft a request for further comment to support 
consideration of further regulatory action.

Viewing Comments and Documents

    To view comments, as well as any documents mentioned in this 
preamble as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Insert the docket number, FMCSA-2014-0470, in the 
keyword box, and click ``Search.'' Next, click the ``Open Docket 
Folder'' button and choose the document to review. If you do not have 
access to the Internet, you may view the docket online by visiting the 
Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the 
DOT West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

Privacy Act

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these 
comments, without edit, including any personal information the 
commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system 
of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 
www.dot.gov/privacy.

I. Background

    On July 6, 2012, the President signed MAP-21 into law. The new law 
included certain requirements concerning State inspection programs for 
passenger-carrying vehicles (e.g., motorcoaches). Specifically, section 
32710 requires the Secretary of Transportation to complete a rulemaking 
proceeding to consider requiring States to establish a program for 
annual inspections of CMVs designed or used to transport passengers. 
FMCSA must also include an assessment of the following: (1) The risks 
associated with improperly maintained or inspected CMVs designed or 
used to transport passengers; (2) the effectiveness of existing Federal 
standards for the inspection of such vehicles in (a) mitigating the 
risks associated with improperly maintained vehicles; and (b) ensuring 
the safe and proper operation condition of such vehicles; and (3) the 
costs and benefits of a mandatory inspection program. Any data with 
regard to the topic would be appreciated.
    To help inform consideration of the MAP-21 requirements, the Agency 
believes it would be helpful to conduct a public listening session to 
provide all interested parties the opportunity to share their views on 
the subject. The April 14 meeting is the third in a series of sessions. 
The previous listening sessions were announced on December 22, 2014 (79 
FR 76295) and conducted on January 13 and January 18, 2015. The Agency 
requests information on the following questions:
     Does your State or the States in which you domicile buses 
conduct mandatory bus inspections? Are these inspections conducted 
annually and by State employees or 3rd party inspectors? If conducted 
by 3rd party inspectors, what oversight is or should be required? What 
is the cost of these inspections?
     If your State imposes mandatory inspection of buses, how 
do you assess the effectiveness of such inspections? For example, have 
you measured the occurrence of bus-involved crashes, injuries and/or 
fatalities before and after the imposition of a mandatory inspection 
requirement?
     Which vehicle defects are most prevalent at these 
inspections? What conclusions do you draw from the results of these 
inspections?
     Where should these inspections be performed? At a ``brick 
and mortar'' facility or at the carrier's place of business? If at the 
carrier's place of business, what accommodations must be made to ensure 
appropriate access (e.g. pits, lifts, etc.) to conduct full inspections 
of motorcoaches and other large vehicles? What should the fees be for 
the various types of inspections?
     How much does it cost to establish and run inspection 
programs on an annual basis? Would self-inspection or 3rd party 
inspections be an option to a State inspection? How would the costs 
differ? Do you envision other more preferable options?
     Should States allow fleets to self-inspect? How many 
fleets use their own mechanics, as opposed to 3rd party inspectors, to 
conduct bus inspections?
     Has your State or organization collected data related to 
crashes, injuries and/or fatalities attributable to improperly 
maintained or inspected buses? If so, what conclusions have you drawn 
from that data?

II. Meeting Participation and Information FMCSA Seeks From the Public

    The listening session is open to the public. Speakers should try to 
limit their remarks to 3-5 minutes. No preregistration is required. 
Attendees may submit material to the FMCSA staff at the session for 
inclusion in the pubic docket referenced at the beginning of this 
notice.
    FMCSA will docket the transcripts of the webcast and a separate 
transcription of the listening session will be prepared by an official 
court reporter.

    Issued on: March 24, 2015.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2015-07054 Filed 3-26-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P