[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67706-67707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18640]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[FHWA Docket No. FHWA-2024-0006]


Enhanced Driver Licensing and Vehicle Registration Data Reporting 
Specifications for 500-Series Program Purposes

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice; Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice requests comments on FHWA's forthcoming reporting 
specifications for licensed driver and registered vehicle data. The 
reporting specifications that are the subject of this notice are 
enhancements to the current reporting guidance. States are required to 
annually submit licensed driver and registered vehicle data to FHWA in 
accordance with specifications outlined in the Agency's `Guide to 
Reporting Highway Statistics,' which serves as the guiding document 
issued to State agencies for 500-Series Program execution purposes. 
These enhancements are necessary to support new and forthcoming 
regulatory, program and policy objectives, as well as inform Federal-
aid system investment needs, analyses, and decisionmaking. The FHWA is 
targeting an implementation year of 2028, when States will be required 
to submit their data for 2027 per the new reporting guidance.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 21, 2024. Late-
filed comments will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that you do not duplicate your docket submissions, 
please submit comments by only one of the following means:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. This 
website allows the public to enter comments on any Federal Register 
notice issued by any agency. Follow the online instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Instructions: You should identify the docket number at the 
beginning of your comments. Late comments will be considered to the 
extent practicable. Note that all comments received will be posted 
without change to www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Allison Weber, Office of Policy & 
Governmental Affairs, [email protected], office hours are from 8:00 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, 
or Ms. Dawn Horan, Office of the Chief Counsel, [email protected], 
(202) 366-9615, office hours are from 8:00

[[Page 67707]]

a.m. to 4:30 p.m., ET, Federal Highway Administration, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Offices are open Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additional information on the forthcoming 
changes and the related data specifications can be found on the FHWA 
Office of Highway Policy Information website at the following link: 
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/data_collection_federal_register_notice.cfm.

Electronic Access

    A copy of this notice, all comments received on this notice, and 
all background material may be viewed online at: www.regulations.gov 
using the docket number listed above. Electronic retrieval assistance 
and guidelines are also available at: www.regulations.gov. An 
electronic copy of this document may also be downloaded from the Office 
of the Federal Register's website at: www.FederalRegister.gov and the 
U.S. Government Publishing Office's website at: www.GovInfo.gov.

Background

    The FHWA's Office of Highway Policy Information serves as the 
national source for highway data, providing DOT, Congress, and the 
transportation community with informational products in a timely manner 
to inform the development and implementation of decisions, policies, 
legislation, programs, and performance goals. Per 23 CFR 1.5 and 23 CFR 
420.105(b), State departments of transportation (State DOT) must 
provide data that supports FHWA's responsibilities to Congress and to 
the public. The 500-Series Program is a series of reporting forms, 
designed by FHWA in consultation with the States, for State DOTs to 
collect data on State and local highway system funding, motor fuel 
distribution, licensed drivers, and registered motor vehicles. The 
series of reporting forms is a mechanism that State DOTs use to submit 
the data to FHWA and fulfill statutory obligations. The Guide to 
Reporting Highway Statistics serves as a reference for State DOTs to 
report the data required for the 500-Series Program.
    The FHWA's Motor Fuel and Highway Funding Team, which manages the 
500-Series Program, currently collects aggregate motor vehicle 
registration and licensed driver data annually from the States through 
FHWA-Form 561 and FHWA-Form 562.\1\ The purpose is to capture a summary 
of active registrations, licenses, and related information on taxation 
and fees. This information allows policy and decisionmakers to 
understand transportation fleet composition and driver population 
trends over time, and the related revenue yields associated with 
licensed driver and registered vehicle-related transactions. The FHWA 
utilizes this data to support Federal-aid system investment analysis 
and decisionmaking, and to perform roadway safety/crash and vehicle 
fuel economy studies. The National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration and the American Association of Motor Vehicle 
Administrators (AAMVA) use vehicle registration data as input to 
determine safety grant program funding and data system user fees, 
respectively, to allocate to and levy against States and jurisdictions.
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    \1\ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/eforms/mv-dl.htm.
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Discussion of Changes

    Through the development and implementation of enhanced data 
reporting specifications, FHWA will transition to the collection of 
non-Personally Identifiable Information (PII), record-based, raw/
unprocessed registered vehicle and licensed driver data annually from 
State agencies (e.g., State DOTs, Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMV)). 
This data collection method will help address longstanding data 
concerns evident in the current reported data; help obtain data at a 
high level of granularity needed to support various regulatory 
activities and research initiatives, both existing and forthcoming; 
facilitate States' collection of data for reporting purposes; ensure 
the completeness and consistency of reported data; and contribute to 
determinations regarding allocations of AAMVA-related program fees.

Request for Comments

    Although comments may address any component of the enhanced data 
reporting specifications, FHWA is specifically requesting comments on 
the data elements to be reported by the States per the enhanced data 
reporting guidance. This information is published on the web page 
referenced under Supplementary Information section in this notice.

Shailen P. Bhatt,
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-18640 Filed 8-20-24; 8:45 am]
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