[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 208 (Friday, October 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54173-54174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23461]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2017-0002-N-5]


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its 
implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information 
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below. Before submitting this ICR 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is 
soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities 
identified below.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 26, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the information activities 
described in this notice by mail to either Ms. Rachel Grice, 
Engineering Psychologist, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, 
Human Factors Division, RPD-34, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room 
W36-429, Washington, DC 20590; or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, 
FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W34-212, Washington, DC 20590. 
Commenters requesting FRA to acknowledge receipt of their respective 
comments must include a self-addressed stamped postcard stating, 
``Comments on OMB Control Number 2130-XXXX,'' (the relevant OMB control 
number for the ICR listed below) and should also include the title of 
the ICR. Alternatively, comments may be faxed to (202) 493-6172 or 
(202) 493-6630, or emailed to [email protected] or 
[email protected]. Please refer to the assigned OMB control number in 
any correspondence submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in 
response to this notice in a subsequent notice and include them in its 
information collection submission to OMB for approval.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Grice, Engineering 
Psychologist, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Human 
Factors Division, RPD-34, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Room W36-429, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 
493-8005) or Ms. Kim Toone, Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W34-212, Washington, DC 
20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6132).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, and its 
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to 
provide 60-days' notice to the public to allow comment on information 
collection activities before seeking OMB approval of the activities. 
See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. Specifically, 
FRA invites interested parties to comment on the following ICR 
regarding: (1) Whether the information collection activities are 
necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether 
the activities will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FRA's 
estimates of the burden of the information collection activities, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to 
determine the estimates; (3) ways for FRA to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (4) ways 
for FRA to minimize the burden of information collection activities on 
the public, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of

[[Page 54174]]

information technology. See 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1).
    FRA believes that soliciting public comment will promote its 
efforts to reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens associated 
with the collection of information that Federal regulations require. In 
summary, FRA reasons that comments received will advance three 
objectives: (1) Reduce reporting burdens; (2) ensure organization of 
information collection requirements in a ``user-friendly'' format to 
improve the use of such information; and (3) allow an accurate 
assessment of the resources expended to retrieve and produce 
information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 3501.
    The summaries below describe the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB 
clearance as the PRA requires:
    Title: The Impact of Commute Times on the Fatigue and Safety of 
Locomotive Engineers.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-NEW.
    Abstract: Time-on-task and time awake are two well-known factors 
that contribute to fatigue. Time-on-task refers to the length of time a 
person has been performing a task, whereas time awake refers to the 
length of time since a person last slept. Both of these factors can 
have a detrimental effect on performance, with the risk of adverse 
safety events (e.g., crashes) increasing as the length of time that a 
person performs a task or remains awake increases. These factors also 
influence each other; that is, the negative effects of increasing time-
on-task may become evident sooner if the person has also been awake for 
a long time. Drivers with longer commutes experience greater time awake 
and time-on-task than drivers with shorter commutes. A growing body of 
evidence from a number of industries (e.g., medical, mining, long-haul 
trucking) suggests that commuting time has a detrimental impact on 
driving performance, particularly when combined with night-time shift 
work. However, the extent to which these factors impact the fatigue and 
safety of locomotive engineers remains unknown.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Affected Public: Railroad Workers.
    Forms: FRA F 245.
    Respondent Universe: 35,000 locomotive engineers.
    Frequency of Submission: Single submission per person.
    Reporting Burden: The estimated total annual burden is 1,750 hours 
across the 5,250 locomotive engineers (estimating a 15% response rate). 
Each locomotive engineer completes a single online questionnaire and 
the questionnaire is estimated to take 20 minutes.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 5,250 responses.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 1,750 hours.
    Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b) and 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), 
FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, 
and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

Juan D. Reyes III,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2018-23461 Filed 10-25-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-06-P