[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 163 (Thursday, August 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58060-58061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18239]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2023-0172]


Agency Information Collection Activities; New Information 
Collection: Impact of Driver Detention Time on Safety and Operations

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA 
announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its 
review and approval and invites public comment. This notice invites 
comments on a proposed information collection titled Impact of Driver 
Detention Time on Safety and Operations. This research study will 
collect data on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver detention time 
representative of the major segments of the motor carrier industry, 
analyze that data to determine the frequency and severity of detention 
time, and assess the utility of existing intelligent transportation 
systems (ITS) solutions to measure detention time. Approximately 80 
carriers and 2,500 CMV drivers will provide data in the study. The 
study will provide a better understanding of the impact of driver 
detention time on driver safety and CMV operations and inform 
strategies that may be used to mitigate driver detention time.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before October 
23, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FMCSA-
2023-0172 using any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Dockets Operations; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Dockets Operations, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, 
Ground Floor, Washington, DC, 20590-0001 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. To be sure someone is 
there to help you, please call (202) 366-9317 or (202) 366-9826 before 
visiting Dockets Operations.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Britton, Office of Research and 
Registration, DOT, FMCSA, West Building 6th Floor, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001; 202-366-9980; 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Instructions

    All submissions must include the Agency name and docket number. For 
detailed instructions on submitting comments, see the Public 
Participation heading below. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading 
below.

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
notice (FMCSA-2023-0172), indicate the specific section of this 
document to which your comment applies, 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 FMCSA can contact you if there are questions regarding your 
submission. 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.
    To submit your comment online, go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FMCSA-2023-0172/document, click on this notice, click 
``Comment,'' and type your comment into the text box on the following 
screen.
    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.
    Comments received after the comment closing date will be included 
in the docket and will be considered to the extent practicable.

Privacy Act

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its decision making. 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.

Background

    ``Detention time'' refers to the extra time commercial motor 
vehicle (CMV) operators wait at shipping and receiving facilities due 
to delays associated with the loading and unloading of cargo. Drivers 
are often not paid for this extra time. Although there is currently no 
standard definition of detention time, the CMV industry, the U.S. 
Government, and academic detention research in the United States have 
typically used dwell time--the total amount of time spent at a 
facility--exceeding 2 hours to define when detention time occurs.
    Detention time in the CMV industry is a longstanding issue and 
consistently ranks as one of the top problems for a large portion of 
CMV operators on an ongoing basis. Further, detention time often 
results in lost revenue for many drivers and carriers. Reducing 
detention time may reduce costs for carriers, increase pay for drivers, 
and improve CMV drivers' ability to make deliveries on time or arrive 
at a destination as planned without violating hours of service (HOS) 
requirements. Finally, drivers who experience less detention time may 
be more likely to drive safely to reach their destinations within the 
HOS limits and less likely to operate beyond HOS limits and improperly 
log their driving and duty time to make deliveries on time.
    An important first step in addressing detention time is 
understanding the factors that contribute to the issue. FMCSA completed 
a study in 2014 on the impact of detention time on CMV safety. Although 
this study provided valuable initial insights, it had several 
limitations, including a small sample of mostly large carriers, a 
rudimentary estimation of detention time, the inability to identify 
time spent loading/unloading, and data that did not cover an entire 12-
month period. Therefore, FMCSA needs additional data from a broader 
sample of carriers to understand the safety and operational impact of 
detention time, to better understand why detention time occurs, and to 
identify potential mitigation strategies the CMV industry may use to 
reduce

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detention time while improving operational efficiencies and safety.
    The purpose for obtaining data in this study is to evaluate the 
impact of driver detention time on safety and CMV operations. 
Specifically, there are three primary objectives for the data 
collection in this study: (i) assess the frequency and severity of 
driver detention time using data that represent the major segments of 
the motor carrier industry; (ii) assess the utility of existing ITS 
solutions to measure detention time; and (iii) prepare a final report 
that summarizes the findings, answers the research questions, and 
offers strategies to reduce detention time. Completing these research 
objectives will provide insight into any relationship between driver 
detention time and CMV safety. Additionally, the findings from this 
study can contribute to a more complete understanding of these issues 
and facilitate private sector decisions that lead to reductions in 
detention time and improvements in safety and supply chain efficiency.
    The study includes data collection via electronic logging devices 
(ELDs), transportation management systems (TMS), vehicle telematic 
systems, safety records, and answers to questions delivered through the 
carriers' dispatching systems. The TMS, ELD, telematics, and safety 
data are already collected by carriers. The only additional data that 
will be collected will be the answers to questions submitted through 
the carriers' dispatching systems. This information will allow FMCSA to 
identify the severity and frequency of detention time, the factors that 
contribute to detention time, and the administrative, operational, and 
safety outcomes of detention time. After agreeing to participate in the 
study, carriers will collect and provide 12 months of data.
    The carriers will be selected so that the sample is representative 
of the nation. Carriers will primarily be selected from the 
approximately 3,000 SpeedGauge clients in the Driven Data 
Clearinghouse, which is maintained by SpeedGauge and combines vehicle, 
telematics, ELD, and vehicle claims data. However, the study may 
include other carriers that express interest in participating. The 
final sample from this source will include up to 80 carriers with up to 
2,500 total vehicles. This sample will include a variety of carrier 
operations, including long haul/short haul, private/company fleets and 
for-hire fleets, port servicing (primarily chassis), owner-operators, 
hourly and mileage-based operators, truckload/less-than-truckload, and 
dedicated local delivery. These carriers will range in size from 
single-vehicle owner-operators to carriers with hundreds of trucks, 
with a likely average fleet size of 31 vehicles. Multiple analyses will 
be performed, including assessing the relationships between detention 
time and characteristics of carriers, facility locations, and driver 
schedules (appointment times, time of day, day of week, month, and 
season). Measures of detention time will include the number of detained 
stops per shift and the duration of each detention. Regression models 
will be used to compare these variables for significant differences in 
associated detention time.
    Another analysis will examine the relationship between detention 
time and safety outcomes during the shifts following the detention 
time. The relationships between detention time and safety outcomes will 
be evaluated by generalized linear models such as Poisson or negative 
binomial regression models. The independent variables will be the 
characteristics of detention time, such as detention time per shift. 
The response variable will be the number of safety outcomes (e.g., 
crashes) that occurred during the subsequent shift. The driving time 
will be treated as an exposure variable to normalize crash risk with 
respect to driving time.
    Finally, the study will estimate the cost per year associated with 
detention time, including lost productivity, disruptions to the supply 
chain, and any increases in fatal, injury, and property-damage-only 
crashes.
    Title: Impact of Driver Detention Time on Safety and Operations.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-00XX.
    Type of Request: New ICR.
    Respondents: CMV carriers and drivers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 80 carriers and 2,500 CMV drivers.
    Estimated Time per Response: 30 seconds (for drivers and the 
operation team).
    Expiration Date: This is a new ICR.
    Frequency of Response: Once per delivery/pick-up.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 8,112.50 hours.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including: (1) whether the proposed 
collection is necessary for the performance of FMCSA's functions; (2) 
the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways for FMCSA to enhance the 
quality, usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) 
ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of 
the collected information. The Agency will summarize or include your 
comments in the request for OMB's clearance of this ICR.

    Issued under the authority of 49 CFR 1.87.
Thomas P. Keane,
Associate Administrator, Office of Research and Registration.
[FR Doc. 2023-18239 Filed 8-23-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P