2022-12874. General Qualifications of Drivers: Small Business in Transportation Coalition; Application for Exemption

AGENCY:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

FMCSA announces that the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) has requested an exemption from the requirement that motor carriers not permit a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle unless the driver is capable of reading and speaking the English language sufficiently to communicate with the public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records. SBTC requests the exemption on behalf of all motor carriers in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) category 484230 (Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance) with revenues under $30 million. FMCSA requests public comment on the applicant's request for exemption.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before July 15, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) Number FMCSA-2022-0105 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. See the Public Participation and Request for Comments section below for further information.

• Mail: Dockets Operations, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

• Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. E.T., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

• Fax: [phone].

Each submission must include the Agency name and the docket number (FMCSA-2022-0105) for this notice. Note that DOT posts all comments received without change to www.regulations.gov, including any personal information included in a comment. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.

Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments, go to www.regulations.gov at any time or visit Room W12-140 on the ground level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, 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 [phone] or [phone] before visiting Dockets Operations.

Privacy Act: In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b), DOT solicits comments from the public to better inform its exemption 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 https://www.transportation.gov/​privacy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Pearlie Robinson, Driver and Carrier Operations Division; Office of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle Safety Standards, FMCSA, at [phone] or by email at [e-mail]. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, contact Dockets Operations at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation and Request for Comments

FMCSA encourages you to participate by submitting comments and related materials.

Submitting Comments

If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this notice (FMCSA-2022-0105), indicate the specific section of this document to which the comment applies, and provide a reason for suggestions or recommendations. 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 the Agency can contact you if it has questions regarding your submission.

To submit your comment online, go to www.regulations.gov and put the docket number (“FMCSA-2022-0105”) in the “Keyword” box, and click “Search.” When the new screen appears, click on the “Comment Now!” button and type your comment into the text box in the following screen. Choose whether you are submitting your comment as an individual or on behalf of a third party and then submit. 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. If you submit comments by mail and would like to know that they reached the facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. FMCSA will consider all comments and material received during the comment period.

II. Legal Basis

FMCSA has authority under 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315(b) to grant exemptions from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). FMCSA must publish a notice of each exemption request in the Federal Register (49 CFR 381.315(a)). The Agency must provide the public an opportunity to inspect the information relevant to the application, including any safety analyses that have been conducted. The Agency must provide an opportunity for public comment on the request.

The Agency reviews safety analyses and public comments submitted and determines whether granting the exemption would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved by the current regulation (49 CFR 381.305). The Agency must publish its decision in the Federal Register (49 CFR 381.315(b)) with the reasons for denying or granting the application and, if granted, the name of the person or class of persons receiving the exemption and the regulatory provision from which the exemption is granted. The notice must specify the effective period and explain the terms and conditions of the exemption. The exemption may be renewed (49 CFR 381.300(b)).

III. Applicant's Request

SBTC seeks an exemption from “49 CFR 391.11(a) as it applies to 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2)” on behalf of “all motor carriers in NAICS category 484230 (Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance) with revenues under $30 million, which are defined as `small businesses' by the Small Business Administration.”

A copy of SBTC's application for exemption is available for review in the docket for this notice.

IV. Request for Comments

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b), FMCSA requests public comment from all interested persons on SBTC's application for an exemption from the requirement in 49 CFR 391.11(a) “as it relates to 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2).” All comments received before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated at the beginning of this notice will be considered and will be available for examination in the docket at the location listed under the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Comments received after the comment closing date will be filed in the public docket and will be considered to the extent practicable. In addition to late comments, FMCSA will also continue to file, in the public docket, relevant information that becomes available after the comment closing date. Interested persons should continue to examine the public docket for new material.

Larry W. Minor,

Associate Administrator for Policy.