Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC): Public Meeting Medical Review Board: Joint Public Meeting With MCSAC, 3546-3547 [2012-1401]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 24, 2012 / Notices
provides a blueprint to help achieve a
coordinated and balanced regional
transportation system in the SCAG
region.
The Proposed 2012–2035 RTP/SCS
provides land use and transportation
recommendations to help achieve a
coordinated balance of land uses and
transportation improvements such that
vehicle trips and vehicle trip lengths are
reduced and land is used efficiently and
sustainably, thereby minimizing energy
and water consumption. The 2012–2035
RTP/SCS contains transportation and
urban form strategies that encourage
compact growth, increased jobs/housing
balance and transit-oriented
development, where feasible, in all parts
of the region.
The Draft PEIR will be available on
SCAG’s Web site at www.scag.ca.gov/
peir
Issued on: January 18, 2012.
Shawn E. Oliver,
Transportation Engineer, Federal Highway
Administration, Sacramento, California
95814–4708.
[FR Doc. 2012–1293 Filed 1–23–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration
[Docket Nos. FMCSA–2006–26367 and
FMCSA–2011–0131]
Motor Carrier Safety Advisory
Committee (MCSAC): Public Meeting
Medical Review Board: Joint Public
Meeting With MCSAC
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Meeting of Motor
Carrier Safety Advisory Committee
(MCSAC) and Joint Meeting with the
Medical Review Board (MRB).
AGENCY:
FMCSA announces that
MCSAC will hold a meeting on
Monday–Thursday, February 6–9, 2012,
which will include a joint meeting on
Monday, February 6, 2012, with the
MRB to finalize recommendations of the
joint MCSAC–MRB subcommittee to the
FMCSA Administrator on obstructive
sleep apnea. The MCSAC will meet
separately on Tuesday–Thursday,
February 7–8, 2012, where it will
consider issues relating to the
prevention of harassment of truck and
bus drivers through electronic on-board
recorders (EOBRs). On Thursday,
February 9, there will be a preliminary
discussion of ideas and concepts the
MCSAC believes the Agency should
consider concerning motorcoach hours-
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:25 Jan 23, 2012
Jkt 226001
of-service (HOS). All four days of the
meeting will be open to the public.
Time and Dates: The meetings will be
held on Monday–Wednesday, February
6–8, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Eastern Time (E.T.), and on Thursday,
February 9, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 12
p.m., E.T. The meetings will be held at
the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, 1767
King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 in
the Washington and Jefferson Rooms on
the 2nd floor. The Hilton Alexandria
Old Town is located across the street
from the King Street Metro station.
Copies of all MCSAC Task Statements
and an agenda for the entire 4-day
meeting will be made available in
advance of the meeting at https://
mcsac.fmcsa.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Shannon L. Watson, Senior Advisor to
the Associate Administrator for Policy,
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590,
(202) 385–2395, mcsac@dot.gov.
Services for Individuals With
Disabilities
For information on facilities or
services for individuals with disabilities
or to request special assistance at the
meeting, contact Elizabeth Turner at
(617) 494–2068,
elizabeth.turner@dot.gov, by
Wednesday, February 1, 2012.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
MCSAC
Section 4144 of the Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity
Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU,
Pub. L. 109–59, 119 Stat. 1144, August
10, 2005) required the Secretary of
Transportation to establish the MCSAC.
The MCSAC provides advice and
recommendations to the FMCSA
Administrator on motor carrier safety
programs and regulations, and operates
in accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA,
5 U.S.C. App. 2).
MRB
Section 4116 of the SAFETEA–LU
requires the Secretary of Transportation,
with the advice of the MRB, to
‘‘establish, review, and revise medical
standards for operators of CMVs
[commercial motor vehicles] that will
ensure that the physical condition of
operators of CMVs is adequate to enable
them to operate the vehicles safely.’’ On
November 2, 2010, the Secretary of
Transportation announced the five
medical experts who serve on the MRB.
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
FMCSA is planning revisions to the
physical qualification regulations of
CMV drivers, and the MRB will provide
the necessary science-based guidance to
establish realistic and responsible
medical standards. The MRB operates in
accordance with FACA.
Sleep Apnea and Other Sleep Disorders
The MCSAC and the MRB joint
subcommittee on obstructive sleep
apnea will report to the full MCSAC and
MRB committees its recommendations
on ideas and concepts the Agency
should consider for a future rulemaking
on obstructive sleep apnea. The full
committees will consider the report and
submit recommendations to the FMCSA
Administrator.
Hours-of-Service (HOS) for Drivers of
Passenger-Carrying CMVs
The MCSAC will begin consideration
of Task 11–06, concerning ideas and
concepts the Agency should consider in
deciding whether to initiate a
rulemaking to amend or revise the HOS
requirements for drivers of passengercarrying CMVs.
Driver Harassment
On August 26, 2011, the Seventh
Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the
Agency’s April 2010 final rule
concerning EOBRs because the agency
failed to consider a statutory mandate to
‘‘ensure that [EOBRs] are not used to
harass vehicle operators’’ OwnerOperator Indep. Drivers Ass’n et al. v.
Fed. Motor Carrier Safety Admin., 656
F.3d 580 (7th Cir. 2011). The FMCSA
has requested that the MCSAC provide
ideas and concepts on how the Agency
could address the statutory mandate in
a future EOBR rulemaking.
II. Meeting Participation
Oral comments from the public will
be heard during the last hour of the
meetings on Monday–Wednesday, and
during the last 15 minutes of the
meeting on Thursday. Members of the
public may submit written comments on
the topics to be considered during the
meeting by Wednesday, February 1,
2012, to Federal Docket Management
System (FDMC) Docket Number
FMCSA–2006–26367 using any of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments.
• Fax: 202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility;
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building,
Room W12–140, Washington, DC 20590.
E:\FR\FM\24JAN1.SGM
24JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 24, 2012 / Notices
• Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Room W12–140,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m., E.T. Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
Issued on: January 19, 2012.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2012–1401 Filed 1–23–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA–2011–0299]
Qualification of Drivers; Exemption
Applications; Vision
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of final disposition.
AGENCY:
FMCSA announces its
decision to exempt eight individuals
from the vision requirement in the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulations (FMCSRs). The exemptions
will enable these individuals to operate
commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in
interstate commerce without meeting
the prescribed vision requirement. The
Agency has concluded that granting
these exemptions will provide a level of
safety that is equivalent to or greater
than the level of safety maintained
without the exemptions for these CMV
drivers.
DATES: The exemptions are effective
January 24, 2012. The exemptions
expire on January 24, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elaine M. Papp, Chief, Medical
Programs Division, (202) 366–4001,
fmcsamedical@dot.gov, FMCSA,
Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W64–
224, Washington, DC 20590–0001.
Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
Electronic Access
You may see all the comments online
through the Federal Document
Management System (FDMS) at https://
www.regulations.gov.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or
comments, go to https://
www.regulations.gov at any time or
Room W12–140 on the ground level of
the West Building, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:25 Jan 23, 2012
Jkt 226001
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. The
FDMS is available 24 hours each day,
365 days each year. If you want
acknowledgement that we received your
comments, please include a selfaddressed, stamped envelope or
postcard or print the acknowledgement
page that appears after submitting
comments on-line.
Privacy Act: Anyone may search the
electronic form of all comments
received into any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the
comment (or of the person signing the
comment, if submitted on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.).
You may review DOT’s Privacy Act
Statement for the FDMS published in
the Federal Register on January 17,
2008 (73 FR 3316), or you may visit
https://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/
E8–785.pdf.
Background
On November 29, 2011, FMCSA
published a notice of receipt of
exemption applications from certain
individuals, and requested comments
from the public (76 FR 73769). That
notice listed eight applicants’ case
histories. The eight individuals applied
for exemptions from the vision
requirement in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), for
drivers who operate CMVs in interstate
commerce.
Under 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315,
FMCSA may grant an exemption for a 2year 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.’’ The statute also
allows the Agency to renew exemptions
at the end of the 2-year period.
Accordingly, FMCSA has evaluated the
eight applications on their merits and
made a determination to grant
exemptions to each of them.
Vision and Driving Experience of the
Applicants
The vision requirement in the
FMCSRs 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 a least
20/40 (Snellen) in both eyes with or
without corrective lenses, field of vision
of at least 70° in the horizontal meridian
in each eye, and the ability to recognize
the colors of traffic signals and devices
showing requirement red, green, and
amber (49 CFR 391.41(b)(10)).
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Frm 00115
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
3547
FMCSA recognizes that some drivers
do not meet the vision requirement but
have adapted their driving to
accommodate their vision limitation
and demonstrated their ability to drive
safely. The eight exemption applicants
listed in this notice are in this category.
They are unable to meet the vision
requirement in one eye for various
reasons, including amblyopia, complete
loss of vision, and a completely
detached retina. In most cases, their eye
conditions were not recently developed.
Seven of the applicants were either born
with their vision impairments or have
had them since childhood. One
individual sustained his vision
condition as an adult and has had it for
a period of 4 years.
Although each applicant has one eye
which does not meet the vision
requirement 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, has sufficient vision to perform
all the tasks necessary to operate a CMV.
Doctors’ opinions are supported by the
applicants’ possession of valid
commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) or
non-CDLs to operate CMVs. Before
issuing CDLs, States subject drivers to
knowledge and skills tests designed to
evaluate their qualifications to operate a
CMV.
All of these applicants satisfied the
testing requirements for their State of
residence. By meeting State licensing
requirements, the applicants
demonstrated their ability to operate a
CMV, with their limited vision, to the
satisfaction of the State.
While possessing a valid CDL or nonCDL, these eight drivers have been
authorized to drive a CMV in intrastate
commerce, even though their vision
disqualified them from driving in
interstate commerce. They have driven
CMVs with their limited vision for
careers ranging from 5 to 35 years. In the
past 3 years, none of the drivers was
involved in crashes, two were convicted
of moving violations in a CMV.
The qualifications, experience, and
medical condition of each applicant
were stated and discussed in detail in
the November 29, 2011, notice (76 FR
73769).
Basis for Exemption Determination
Under 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315,
FMCSA may grant an exemption from
the vision requirement 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
E:\FR\FM\24JAN1.SGM
24JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3546-3547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1401]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
[Docket Nos. FMCSA-2006-26367 and FMCSA-2011-0131]
Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC): Public Meeting
Medical Review Board: Joint Public Meeting With MCSAC
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Meeting of Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee
(MCSAC) and Joint Meeting with the Medical Review Board (MRB).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: FMCSA announces that MCSAC will hold a meeting on Monday-
Thursday, February 6-9, 2012, which will include a joint meeting on
Monday, February 6, 2012, with the MRB to finalize recommendations of
the joint MCSAC-MRB subcommittee to the FMCSA Administrator on
obstructive sleep apnea. The MCSAC will meet separately on Tuesday-
Thursday, February 7-8, 2012, where it will consider issues relating to
the prevention of harassment of truck and bus drivers through
electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs). On Thursday, February 9, there
will be a preliminary discussion of ideas and concepts the MCSAC
believes the Agency should consider concerning motorcoach hours-of-
service (HOS). All four days of the meeting will be open to the public.
Time and Dates: The meetings will be held on Monday-Wednesday,
February 6-8, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time (E.T.), and
on Thursday, February 9, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., E.T. The
meetings will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, 1767 King
Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 in the Washington and Jefferson Rooms on
the 2nd floor. The Hilton Alexandria Old Town is located across the
street from the King Street Metro station.
Copies of all MCSAC Task Statements and an agenda for the entire 4-
day meeting will be made available in advance of the meeting at https://mcsac.fmcsa.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Shannon L. Watson, Senior Advisor
to the Associate Administrator for Policy, Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, (202) 385-2395, mcsac@dot.gov.
Services for Individuals With Disabilities
For information on facilities or services for individuals with
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact
Elizabeth Turner at (617) 494-2068, elizabeth.turner@dot.gov, by
Wednesday, February 1, 2012.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
MCSAC
Section 4144 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, Pub. L. 109-
59, 119 Stat. 1144, August 10, 2005) required the Secretary of
Transportation to establish the MCSAC. The MCSAC provides advice and
recommendations to the FMCSA Administrator on motor carrier safety
programs and regulations, and operates in accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA, 5 U.S.C. App. 2).
MRB
Section 4116 of the SAFETEA-LU requires the Secretary of
Transportation, with the advice of the MRB, to ``establish, review, and
revise medical standards for operators of CMVs [commercial motor
vehicles] that will ensure that the physical condition of operators of
CMVs is adequate to enable them to operate the vehicles safely.'' On
November 2, 2010, the Secretary of Transportation announced the five
medical experts who serve on the MRB. FMCSA is planning revisions to
the physical qualification regulations of CMV drivers, and the MRB will
provide the necessary science-based guidance to establish realistic and
responsible medical standards. The MRB operates in accordance with
FACA.
Sleep Apnea and Other Sleep Disorders
The MCSAC and the MRB joint subcommittee on obstructive sleep apnea
will report to the full MCSAC and MRB committees its recommendations on
ideas and concepts the Agency should consider for a future rulemaking
on obstructive sleep apnea. The full committees will consider the
report and submit recommendations to the FMCSA Administrator.
Hours-of-Service (HOS) for Drivers of Passenger-Carrying CMVs
The MCSAC will begin consideration of Task 11-06, concerning ideas
and concepts the Agency should consider in deciding whether to initiate
a rulemaking to amend or revise the HOS requirements for drivers of
passenger-carrying CMVs.
Driver Harassment
On August 26, 2011, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals vacated
the Agency's April 2010 final rule concerning EOBRs because the agency
failed to consider a statutory mandate to ``ensure that [EOBRs] are not
used to harass vehicle operators'' Owner-Operator Indep. Drivers Ass'n
et al. v. Fed. Motor Carrier Safety Admin., 656 F.3d 580 (7th Cir.
2011). The FMCSA has requested that the MCSAC provide ideas and
concepts on how the Agency could address the statutory mandate in a
future EOBR rulemaking.
II. Meeting Participation
Oral comments from the public will be heard during the last hour of
the meetings on Monday-Wednesday, and during the last 15 minutes of the
meeting on Thursday. Members of the public may submit written comments
on the topics to be considered during the meeting by Wednesday,
February 1, 2012, to Federal Docket Management System (FDMC) Docket
Number FMCSA-2006-26367 using any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590.
[[Page 3547]]
Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., E.T. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Issued on: January 19, 2012.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2012-1401 Filed 1-23-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P