[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 167 (Tuesday, September 2, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42507-42508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-16734]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

[Docket Number OST-2025-* * * *]


Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice of Request for 
Approval To Collect New Information: Crash Causal Factors Program 
Heavy-Duty Truck Study Interview Data Collection

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S. 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) 
of Title 44 of the U.S. Code (Pub. L. 104-13, the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995), this notice announces the intention of BTS to request the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a new data collection: 
Crash Causal Factors Program Heavy-Duty Truck Study Interview Data 
Collection. This information collection request (ICR) pertains to data 
collected in the interview portion of the Heavy-Duty Truck Study, which 
was mandated by Congress in Section 23006 of the Infrastructure and 
Investment Jobs Act.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by November 3, 2025.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that your comments are not entered more than once 
into the docket, submit comments by only one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Docket Number: OST-2025-* * * *.
     Mail: Docket Services, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Deliver to mail address above between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and 
docket number. 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.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov, and follow the 
online instructions for accessing the docket, or go to the street 
address listed above.
    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.
    Public Participation: The Federal eRulemaking Portal is available 
24 hours each day, 365 days each year. You can obtain electronic 
submission and retrieval help and guidelines under the ``help'' section 
of the Federal eRulemaking Portal website. 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. Comments received after the 
comment closing date will be included in the docket and will be 
considered to the extent practicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Fischman, Office of Safety 
Data and Analysis, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department 
of Transportation, RTS-35, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 
20590-0001, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Crash Causal Factors Program Heavy-Duty Truck Study 
Interview Data Collection.
    OMB Control Number: Not yet known.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Affected Public: Drivers of heavy-duty trucks (class 7 and 8 
trucks), motor

[[Page 42508]]

carrier industry representatives, and members of the public involved in 
heavy-duty truck fatal crashes.
    Estimated Annual Respondents: 5,000.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 5,000 hours.
    Abstract: In accordance with Section 23006 of the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58, the Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Administration (FMCSA) established the Crash Causal Factors 
Program (CCFP) as a comprehensive study to determine the causes and 
contributing factors to crashes involving commercial motor vehicles. 
The CCFP's first phase, the Heavy-Duty Truck Study, will focus on 
collecting information from a nationally representative sample of at 
least 2,000 fatal crashes involving Class 7 and 8 trucks (i.e., trucks 
with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,0001 pounds or more). Data 
collection will occur over the course of two years, and may extend 
beyond the two year study period subject to FMCSA State-specific 
agreements and renewals of relevant information collection requests. To 
supplement data collected by FMCSA under the study, the Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics (BTS) will conduct interviews on a voluntary 
basis with carriers, drivers, and witnesses following a crash. 
Information gathered during the interviews will provide additional 
information and context for a more comprehensive understanding of 
crashes and their causal factors.
    For each fatal crash, BTS will attempt to interview the heavy-duty 
truck driver, a representative from the involved motor carrier, the 
driver of any other involved vehicle, all vehicle occupants, and any 
other persons involved in the crash. The number of interviews per crash 
will vary depending on the crash circumstances. The estimated reporting 
burden considers an average of five interviews per crash, with one hour 
as the average length per interview. BTS will analyze information 
collected during interviews to identify key driver, vehicle, motor 
carrier, and environmental factors that may contribute to fatal crashes 
involving heavy-duty trucks. Analysis results and findings may be used 
to inform preventive measures, reduce identified risks, and address 
causal factors of heavy-duty truck crashes.
    The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency 
Act of 2018 (CIPSEA) (44 U.S.C. 3561-3583), provides strong 
confidentiality protection for information acquired for statistical 
purposes under a pledge of confidentiality. CIPSEA guidance from the 
Office of Management and Budget advises that a non-statistical agency 
or unit (FMCSA) that wishes to acquire information with CIPSEA 
protection may consider entering into an agreement with a Federal 
statistical agency or unit (BTS). BTS and FMCSA have determined that it 
is in public interest to collect data from interviews under a pledge of 
confidentiality for statistical purposes.
    BTS, within the U.S. Department of Transportation, is an objective 
supplier of statistically sound baseline, contextual, and trend 
information used to shape transportation policy investment decisions 
across the United States. BTS is responsible for providing timely, 
accurate, and reliable information on U.S. passenger and freight 
transportation systems and their impact on the economy, society, and 
the environment. As a Federal statistical agency, BTS has the authority 
to collect data confidentially for statistical purposes under CIPSEA, 
which strictly prohibits BTS from disclosing information in 
identifiable form to anyone other than BTS employees or BTS agents with 
a need to know.
    Data Confidentiality Provisions: The confidentiality of information 
from interviews with individuals and companies involved in the crash is 
protected under the BTS confidentiality statute (49 U.S.C. 6307(b)) and 
CIPSEA. In accordance with these confidentiality statutes, only 
statistical and non-identifying data will be made publicly available by 
BTS through reports. Further, BTS will not release to any public or 
private entity any information that might reveal the identity of an 
individual participating in an interview with BTS.
    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 BTS's functions; (2) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways for BTS 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. Comments received after the comment closing 
date will be included in the docket and will be considered to the 
extent practicable.

Allison Fischman,
Director, Office of Safety Data & Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2025-16734 Filed 8-29-25; 8:45 am]
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