99-34043. Qualification of Drivers; Exemption Applications; Vision  

  • [Federal Register Volume 65, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 2000)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 159-162]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 99-34043]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
    
    Office of Motor Carrier Safety
    [OMCS Docket No. 99-6156 (formerly FHWA Docket No. 99-6156)]
    
    
    Qualification of Drivers; Exemption Applications; Vision
    
    AGENCY: Office of Motor Carrier Safety (OMCS), DOT.
    
    ACTION: Notice of final disposition.
    
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    SUMMARY: The OMCS announces its decision to exempt 40 individuals from 
    the vision requirement in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10).
    
    DATES: January 3, 2000.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the vision 
    exemptions in this notice, Ms. Sandra Zywokarte, Office of Motor 
    Carrier Research and Standards, (202) 366-2987; for information about 
    legal issues related to this notice, Ms. Judith Rutledge, Office of the 
    Chief Counsel, (202) 366-0834, Federal Highway Administration, 
    Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
    20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday 
    through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    
    Electronic Access
    
        Internet users may access all comments received by the U.S. DOT 
    Dockets, Room PL-401, by using the universal resource locator (URL): 
    http://dms.dot.gov. It is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each 
    year. Please follow the instructions online for more information and 
    help.
        An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded using a modem 
    and suitable communications software from the Government Printing 
    Office's Electronic Bulletin Board Service at (202) 512-1661. Internet 
    users may reach the Office of the Federal Register's home page at: 
    http://www.nara.gov/fedreg and the Government Printing Office's web 
    page at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara.
    
    Background
    
        The Secretary has rescinded the authority previously delegated to 
    the Federal Highway Administration to perform motor carrier functions 
    and operations. This authority has been redelegated to the Director, 
    Office of Motor Carrier Safety (OMCS), a new office within the 
    Department of Transportation [64 FR 56270, October 19, 1999]. This 
    explains the docket transfer. The new OMCS assumes the motor carrier 
    functions previously performed by the FHWA's Office of Motor Carrier 
    and Highway Safety (OMCHS). Ongoing rulemaking, enforcement, and other 
    activities of the OMCHS, initiated while part of the FHWA, will be 
    continued by the OMCS. The redelegation will cause no changes in the 
    motor carrier functions and operations of the offices or resource 
    centers.
        Forty individuals petitioned the FHWA for an exemption of the 
    vision requirement in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), which applies to drivers of 
    commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. The OMCS is 
    now responsible for processing the vision exemption applications of the 
    40 drivers. They are Herman Bailey, Jr., Mark A. Baisden, Brad T. 
    Braegger, Kenneth Eugene Bross, Erick H. Cotton, Fletcher E. Creel, 
    Richard James Cummings, Daniel R. Franks, William L. Frigic, Curtis 
    Nelson Fulbright, Victor Bradley Hawks, Vincent I. Johnson, Myles E. 
    Lane, Sr., Dennis J. Lessard, Jon G. Lima, Richard L. Loeffelholz, 
    Herman Carl Mash, Joseph M. Porter, Richard Rankin, Robert G. Rasicot, 
    A.W. Schollett, Melvin B. Shumaker, Clark H. Sullivan, Wayland O. 
    Timberlake, Norman R.Wilson, Larry M. Wink, Jeffrey G. Wuensch, Jon H. 
    Wurtele, Walter M. Yohn, Jr., Steven H. Heidorn, James Donald Simon, 
    William A. Bixler, Woodrow E. Bohley, George L. Silvia, Martin Postma, 
    Steven L. Valley, Phillip P. Smith, Robert W. Nicks, Frank T. Miller, 
    and Roger Allen Dennison. Under 49 U.S.C. 31315 and 31136(e), the OMCS 
    may grant an exemption for a renewable 2-year period if it finds ``such 
    exemption would likely achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, 
    or greater than, the level that would be achieved absent such 
    exemption.'' Accordingly, the OMCS evaluated the petitions on their 
    merits and made a preliminary determination that the waivers should be 
    granted. On July 26, 1999, the agency published notice of its 
    preliminary determination and requested comments from the public (64 FR 
    54948). The comment period closed on November 8, 1999. Two comments 
    were received, and their contents were carefully considered by the OMCS 
    in reaching the final decision to grant the petitions.
    
    Vision and Driving Experience of the Applicants
    
        The vision requirement in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10) provides:
    
        A person is physically qualified to drive a commercial motor 
    vehicle if that person has distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 
    (Snellen) in each eye without corrective lenses or visual acuity 
    separately corrected to 20/40 (Snellen) or better with corrective 
    lenses, distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in both 
    eyes with or without corrective lenses, field of vision of at least 
    70 deg. in the horizontal meridian in each eye, and the ability to 
    recognize the colors of traffic signals and devices showing standard 
    red, green, and amber.
    
        Since 1992, the FHWA has undertaken studies to determine if this 
    vision standard should be amended. The final report from our medical 
    panel recommends changing the field of vision standard from 70 deg. to 
    120 deg., while
    
    [[Page 160]]
    
    leaving the visual acuity standard unchanged. (See Frank C. Berson, 
    Mark C. Kuperwaser, Lloyd Paul Aiello, and James W. Rosenberg, ``Visual 
    Requirements and Commercial Drivers,'' October 16, 1998, filed in the 
    docket). The panel's conclusion supports the OMCS'' (and previously the 
    FHWA's) view that the present standard is reasonable and necessary as a 
    general standard to ensure highway safety. The OMCS also recognizes 
    that some drivers do not meet the vision standard but have adapted 
    their driving to accommodate their vision limitation and demonstrated 
    their ability to drive safely.
        The 40 applicants fall into this category. They are unable to meet 
    the vision standard in one eye for various reasons, including 
    amblyopia, retinal detachment, macular defect, and loss of an eye due 
    to trauma. In most cases, their eye conditions were not recently 
    developed. All but 14 applicants were either born with their vision 
    impairments or have had them since childhood. The 14 individuals who 
    sustained their vision conditions as adults have had them for periods 
    ranging from 3 to 40 years.
        Although each applicant has one eye which does not meet the vision 
    standard in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), each has at least 20/40 corrected 
    vision in the other eye and, in a doctor's opinion, can perform all the 
    tasks necessary to operate a CMV. The doctors' opinions are supported 
    by the applicants' possession of a valid commercial driver's license 
    (CDL). Before issuing a CDL, States subject drivers to knowledge and 
    performance tests designed to evaluate their qualifications to operate 
    the CMV. All these applicants satisfied the testing standards for their 
    State of residence. By meeting State licensing requirements, the 
    applicants demonstrated their ability to operate a commercial vehicle, 
    with their limited vision, to the satisfaction of the State. The 
    Federal interstate qualification standards, however, require more.
        While possessing a valid CDL, these 40 drivers have been authorized 
    to drive a CMV in intrastate commerce even though their vision 
    disqualifies them from driving in interstate commerce. They have driven 
    CMVs with their limited vision for careers ranging from 5 to 53 years. 
    In the past 3 years, the 40 drivers had a total of four moving 
    violations among them. Two drivers were involved in accidents in their 
    CMVs, but none of the CMV drivers received a citation.
        The qualifications, experience, and medical condition of each 
    applicant were stated and discussed in detail in an October 8, 1999, 
    notice (64 FR 54948). Since the docket comments did not focus on the 
    specific merits or qualifications of any applicant, we have not 
    repeated the individual profiles here. Our summary analysis of the 
    applicants as a group, however, is supported by the information 
    published at 64 FR 54948.
    
    Basis for Exemption Determination
    
        Under 49 U.S.C. 31315 and 31136(e), the OMCS may grant an exemption 
    from the vision standard in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10) if the exemption is 
    likely to achieve an equivalent or greater level of safety than would 
    be achieved without the exemption. Without the exemption, applicants 
    will continue to be restricted to intrastate driving. With the 
    exemption, applicants can drive in interstate commerce. Thus, our 
    analysis focuses on whether an equal or greater level of safety is 
    likely to be achieved by permitting these drivers to drive in 
    interstate commerce as opposed to restricting them to driving in 
    intrastate commerce.
        To evaluate the effect of these exemptions on safety, the OMCS 
    considered not only the medical reports about the applicants' vision 
    but also their driving records and experience with the vision 
    deficiency. Recent driving performance is especially important in 
    evaluating future safety according to several research studies designed 
    to correlate past and future driving performance. Results of these 
    studies support the principle that the best predictor of future 
    performance by a driver is his/her past record of accidents and traffic 
    violations. Copies of the studies have been added to the docket.
        We believe we can properly apply the principle to monocular drivers 
    because data from the vision waiver program clearly demonstrate the 
    driving performance of experienced monocular drivers in the program is 
    better than that of all CMV drivers collectively. (See 61 FR 13338, 
    13345, March 26, 1996). That experienced monocular drivers with good 
    driving records in the waiver program demonstrated their ability to 
    drive safely supports a conclusion that other monocular drivers, 
    meeting the same qualifying conditions to those required by the waiver 
    program, are also likely to have adapted to their vision deficiency and 
    will continue to operate safely.
        The first major research correlating past and future performance 
    was done in England by Greenwood and Yule in 1920. Subsequent studies, 
    building on that model, concluded that accident rates for the same 
    individual exposed to certain risks for two different time periods vary 
    only slightly. (See Bates and Neyman, University of California 
    Publications in Statistics, April 1952.) Other studies demonstrated 
    theories of predicting accident proneness from accident history coupled 
    with other factors. These factors, such as age, sex, geographic 
    location, mileage driven and conviction history, are used every day by 
    insurance companies and motor vehicle bureaus to predict the 
    probability of an individual experiencing future accidents. (See Weber, 
    Donald C., ``Accident Rate Potential: An Application of Multiple 
    Regression Analysis of a Poisson Process,'' Journal of American 
    Statistical Association, June 1971). A 1964 California Driver Record 
    Study prepared by the California Department of Motor Vehicles concluded 
    that the best overall accident predictor for both concurrent and 
    nonconcurrent events is the number of single convictions. This study 
    used 3 consecutive years of data, comparing the experiences of drivers 
    in the first 2 years with their experiences in the final year.
        Applying principles from these studies to the past 3-year record of 
    the 40 applicants, we note that cumulatively the applicants have had 
    only two accidents and four moving violations in the last 3 years. None 
    of the violations involved a serious traffic violation as defined in 49 
    CFR 383.5, and neither of the accidents resulted in a citation. The 
    applicants achieved this record of safety while driving with their 
    vision impairment, demonstrating the likelihood that they have adapted 
    their driving skills to accommodate their condition. As the applicants' 
    ample driving histories with their vision deficiencies are good 
    predictors of future performance, the OMCS concludes their ability to 
    drive safely can be projected into the future.
        We believe applicants' intrastate driving experience provides an 
    adequate basis for predicting their ability to drive safely in 
    interstate commerce. Intrastate driving, like interstate operations, 
    involves substantial driving on highways on the interstate system and 
    on other roads built to interstate standards. Moreover, driving in 
    congested urban areas exposes the driver to more pedestrian and 
    vehicular traffic than exist on interstate highways. Faster reaction to 
    traffic and traffic signals is generally required because distances are 
    more compact than on highways. These conditions tax visual capacity and 
    driver response just as intensely as interstate driving conditions. The 
    veteran drivers in this proceeding have operated CMVs safely under 
    those conditions for at least 5
    
    [[Page 161]]
    
    years, most for much longer. Their experience and driving records lead 
    us to believe that each applicant is capable of operating in interstate 
    commerce as safely as he or she has been performing in intrastate 
    commerce. Consequently, the OMCS finds that exempting applicants from 
    the vision standard in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10) is likely to achieve a 
    level of safety equal to that existing without the exemption. For this 
    reason, the agency will grant the exemptions for the 2-year period 
    allowed by 49 U.S.C. 31315 and 31136(e).
        We recognize that the vision of an applicant may change and affect 
    his/her ability to operate a commercial vehicle as safely as in the 
    past. As a condition of the exemption, therefore, the OMCS will impose 
    requirements on the 40 individuals consistent with the grandfathering 
    provisions applied to drivers who participated in the agency's vision 
    waiver program.
        Those requirements are found at 49 CFR 391.64(b) and include the 
    following: (1) That each individual be physically examined every year 
    (a) by an ophthalmologist or optometrist who attests that the vision in 
    the better eye continues to meet the standard in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), 
    and (b) by a medical examiner who attests that the individual is 
    otherwise physically qualified under 49 CFR 391.41; (2) that each 
    individual provide a copy of the ophthalmologist's or optometrist's 
    report to the medical examiner at the time of the annual medical 
    examination; and (3) that each individual provide a copy of the annual 
    medical certification to the employer for retention in its driver 
    qualification file, or keep a copy in his/her driver qualification file 
    if he/she is self-employed. The driver must also have a copy of the 
    certification when driving so it may be presented to a duly authorized 
    Federal, State, or local enforcement official.
    
    Discussion of Comments
    
        The OMCS received two comments in this proceeding. Each comment was 
    considered and is discussed below.
        The Licensing Operations Division of the California Department of 
    Motor Vehicles commented, in the case of applicant 6 (Mr. Fletcher E. 
    Creel), that it does not oppose the granting of an exemption from the 
    Federal vision requirements to Mr. Creel; however, the Department of 
    Motor Vehicles will continue to impose restrictions from transporting 
    passengers or hazardous materials on his CDL. Because the OMCS has 
    determined that exempting Mr. Creel from the vision standard in 49 CFR 
    391.41(b)(10) is likely to achieve a level of safety equal to that 
    without the exemption, the agency does not believe it is necessary to 
    impose this further restriction upon Mr. Creel or any of the 
    applicants, for that matter. The OMCS sets the testing and licensing 
    standards for commercial drivers; however, it is the State that 
    implements these standards and issues the CDL. Therefore, the State, 
    California in this case, has jurisdiction to set licensing restrictions 
    for commercial operations.
        In another comment, the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety 
    (AHAS) expressed continued opposition to the FHWA's policy to grant 
    exemptions from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) 
    including the driver qualification standards. Specifically, the AHAS: 
    (1) Asks the agency to clarify the consistency of the exemption 
    application information provided at 64 FR 54948, (2) objects to the 
    agency's reliance on conclusions drawn from the vision waiver program, 
    (3) raises procedural objections to this proceeding, (4) claims the 
    agency has misinterpreted statutory language on the granting of 
    exemptions (49 U.S.C. 31315 and 31136(e)), and finally, (5) suggests 
    that a recent Supreme Court decision affects the legal validity of 
    vision exemptions.
        On the first issue regarding clarification of exemption application 
    information, the AHAS points to what it sees as ``inconsistencies and 
    differences in the types of information'' provided in individual 
    applications. The AHAS questions why the FHWA omitted information on 
    mileage driven for 6 of the 40 applicants. This difference in the 
    presentation of information simply reflects the OMCS' case-by-case 
    assessments of individual applications. Total mileage driven was 
    provided as an indicator of overall CMV experience. The omission of 
    total mileage information for 6 of the 40 applicants is not significant 
    since all 40 applicants have 3 years of experience operating a CMV with 
    their vision deficiency in a period recent enough for the OMCS to 
    verify their safety records.
        The AHAS identifies other apparent inconsistencies, such as the use 
    of different terminology describing the driving records of applicants. 
    As previously stated at 64 FR 66962, the use of different terminology 
    simply reflects the agency's case-by-case assessments of individual 
    applications as to whether there were any accidents or traffic 
    violations in a CMV in the past 3 years. Regardless of how the agency 
    states this information--that is, in a CMV, in any vehicle or no 
    accidents or violations, it indicates that the applicant has not had an 
    accident or traffic violation in a CMV in the last 3 years. The use of 
    different terminology is not, as the AHAS continues to suggest, an 
    attempt by the OMCS to manipulate information in such a way as to ``put 
    the best possible appearance on each petition for exemption.''
        In another comment, the AHAS again suggests that the agency is 
    ``sanitizing'' the information in the driving record to justify 
    granting vision exemptions. As previously stated at 64 FR 66962, 
    specific information provided on accidents and traffic violations of 
    the applicants is a presentation of the facts as we know them and not 
    any attempt to downplay or explain away accidents and citations as the 
    AHAS suggests.
        The AHAS also comments that ``the opinions of the ophthalmologists 
    and especially optometrists, are not persuasive and should not be 
    relied on by the agency.'' The opinions of the vision specialists on 
    whether a driver has sufficient vision to perform the tasks associated 
    with operating a CMV, are made only after a thorough vision examination 
    including formal field of vision testing to identify any medical 
    condition which may compromise the visual field such as glaucoma, 
    stroke or brain tumor, and not just based on a Snellen test. The OMCS 
    believes it can rely on medical opinions regarding whether a driver's 
    visual capacity is sufficient to enable safe operations. The medical 
    information is combined with information on experience and driving 
    records in the agency's overall determination whether exempting 
    applicants from the vision standard is likely to achieve a level of 
    safety equal to that existing without the exemption.
        The other issues raised by the AHAS which object to the agency's 
    reliance on conclusions drawn from the vision waiver program, raise 
    procedural objections to this proceeding, claim the agency has 
    misinterpreted statutory language on the granting of exemptions (49 
    U.S.C. 31315 and 31136(e)), and finally, suggest that a recent Supreme 
    Court decision affects the legal validity of vision exemptions, were 
    addressed at length in 64 FR 51568 (September 23, 1999), 64 FR 66962 
    (November 30, 1999) and 64 FR 69586 (December 13, 1999). We see no 
    benefit in addressing these points again and refer interested parties 
    to those earlier discussions for reasons why the points are rejected.
        Notwithstanding the OMCS' ongoing review of the vision standard, as 
    evidenced by the medical panel's report dated October 16, 1998, and 
    filed in this docket, the OMCS must comply with Rauenhorst v. United 
    States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 95 
    F.3d 715 (8th Cir. 1996), and grant individual exemptions
    
    [[Page 162]]
    
    under standards that are consistent with public safety. Meeting those 
    standards, the 40 veteran drivers in this case have demonstrated to our 
    satisfaction that they can continue to operate a CMV with their current 
    vision safely in interstate commerce because they have demonstrated 
    their ability in intrastate commerce. Accordingly, they qualify for an 
    exemption under 49 U.S.C. 31315 and 31136(e).
    
    Conclusion
    
        After considering the comments to the docket and based upon its 
    evaluation of the 40 exemption applications in accordance with 
    Rauenhorst v. United States Department of Transportation, Federal 
    Highway Administration, supra, the OMCS exempts Herman Bailey, Jr., 
    Mark A. Baisden, Brad T. Braegger, Kenneth Eugene Bross, Erick H. 
    Cotton, Fletcher E. Creel, Richard James Cummings, Daniel R. Franks, 
    William L. Frigic, Curtis Nelson Fulbright, Victor Bradley Hawks, 
    Vincent I. Johnson, Myles E. Lane, Sr., Dennis J. Lessard, Jon G. Lima, 
    Richard L. Loeffelholz, Herman Carl Mash, Joseph M. Porter, Richard 
    Rankin, Robert G. Rasicot, A.W. Schollett, Melvin B. Shumaker, Clark H. 
    Sullivan, Wayland O. Timberlake, Norman R.Wilson, Larry M. Wink, 
    Jeffrey G. Wuensch, Jon H. Wurtele, Walter M. Yohn, Jr., Steven H. 
    Heidorn, James Donald Simon, William A. Bixler, Woodrow E. Bohley, 
    George L. Silvia, Martin Postma, Steven L. Valley, Phillip P. Smith, 
    Robert W. Nicks, Frank T. Miller, and Roger Allen Dennison from the 
    vision requirement in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), subject to the following 
    conditions: (1) That each individual be physically examined every year 
    (a) by an ophthalmologist or optometrist who attests that the vision in 
    the better eye continues to meet the standard in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), 
    and (b) by a medical examiner who attests that the individual is 
    otherwise physically qualified under 49 CFR 391.41; (2) that each 
    individual provide a copy of the ophthalmologist's or optometrist's 
    report to the medical examiner at the time of the annual medical 
    examination; and (3) that each individual provide a copy of the annual 
    medical certification to the employer for retention in its driver 
    qualification file, or keep a copy in his/her driver qualification file 
    if he/she is self-employed. The driver must also have a copy of the 
    certification when driving so it may be presented to a duly authorized 
    Federal, State, or local enforcement official.
        In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315 and 31136(e), each exemption 
    will be valid for 2 years unless revoked earlier by the OMCS. The 
    exemption will be revoked if (1) the person fails to comply with the 
    terms and conditions of the exemption; (2) the exemption has resulted 
    in a lower level of safety than was maintained before it was granted; 
    or (3) continuation of the exemption would not be consistent with the 
    goals and objectives of 49 U.S.C. 31315 and 31136. If the exemption is 
    still effective at the end of the 2-year period, the person may apply 
    to the OMCS for a renewal under procedures in effect at that time.
    
        Authority: 49 U.S.C. 322, 31315 and 31136; 49 CFR 1.73.
    Julie Anna Cirillo,
    Acting Director, Office of Motor Carrier Safety.
    [FR Doc. 99-34043 Filed 12-30-99; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4910-22-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Effective Date:
1/3/2000
Published:
01/03/2000
Department:
Office of Motor Carrier Safety
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice of final disposition.
Document Number:
99-34043
Dates:
January 3, 2000.
Pages:
159-162 (4 pages)
Docket Numbers:
OMCS Docket No. 99-6156 (formerly FHWA Docket No. 99-6156)
PDF File:
99-34043.pdf