Hours of Service of Drivers: Application for Exemption; STC, Inc., 1222-1223 [2018-00248]

Download as PDF jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with PROPOSALS 1222 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 10, 2018 / Proposed Rules to complete a RODS and usually most of the drivers lack the required class of license to substitute for these select few drivers, meaning the workload that requires operation outside of the local exemption cannot be equalized or shared among the entire driver pool at any one company as could be done at a traditional motor carrier. Thus, one or two drivers will often be designated to conduct these longer, interstate trips that require RODS. TRAA asserts that the addition of the ELD rule creates confusing and burdensome scenarios by overlapping and conflicting regulations placed on towing industry operators. The nature of the towing industry has drivers switching between intrastate and interstate regulations multiple times throughout the day, sometimes as often as between each call. Additionally, drivers employed in the towing industry often switch between commercial and non-commercial motor vehicles throughout their shift. TRAA believes that to mandate an electronic means of documenting HOS for only a small part of each towers daily operations creates an undue burden. Moreover, an exemption from the ELD mandate helps promote the same safety goals inherent in the already existing exemption in 49 CFR Section 390.23(a)(3). This provision exempts towers who are responding to calls from law enforcement from the requirement to keep RODS. The same need to respond quickly to a highway emergency that requires the exemption in Section 390.23(a)(3) exists when a service call comes from a stranded motorist rather than law enforcement. The drivers of these vehicles sitting roadside are at the same risk as those addressed by law enforcement. The current ELD proposal will impact the ability of tow companies to respond to these owners’ requests and still be compliant with the regulatory requirements. TRAA states that, as a practical matter, towers will be required to install and maintain ELDs in all of their equipment, even seldom used spare equipment. It is common practice in the towing industry to maintain spare equipment in a state of readiness, as do other first responder agencies to insure complete readiness for any incident. Due to the complex nature of this and the overlapping scenarios where an ELD may be required, most towers will install, pay service for and utilize costly ELDs even when not required to do so by the regulations to avoid harsh penalties such as out of service orders and expensive fines. TRAA firmly believes it is appropriate to exempt VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:20 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt 244001 towers from the ELD regulation, and without an exemption from the ELD regulation towers’ responsiveness to their customers and the motoring public would be severely reduced, and costs for towing services would increase commeasurably. This will place an unfair burden on the motoring public at large that has not been accounted for in the cost benefit analysis for this regulation. According to TRAA, towing industry operations represent a unique and vital segment of the overall transportation industry in America that warrants exemption from the ELD regulation. The failure to grant this exemption will cause confusion and create an overly complex regulatory framework which will pose an undue burden on towers and their customers without any measurable benefit to public safety. IV. Method To Ensure an Equivalent or Greater Level of Safety According to TRAA, granting this exemption will have no negative impact on public safety or compliance with the HOS regulations by the towing industry companies given that most operate under the short haul or local provisions found in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1) for drivers of vehicles requiring a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and 49 CFR 395.1(e)(2) for drivers of CMVs not requiring a CDL. Instead, the exception will apply only to the small percentage of tow drivers who operate outside these exceptions on longer, interstate trips. The towing industry will maintain a level of safety equal to, or greater than would be achieved while using ELDs by fully complying with the current HOS regulations and not having undue interruption to their current scheduling and staffing methods that have served the industry well in the past. A copy of TRAA’s application for exemption is available for review in the docket for this notice. Issued on: December 29, 2017. Larry W. Minor, Associate Administrator for Policy. [FR Doc. 2018–00247 Filed 1–9–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 49 CFR Part 395 [Docket No. FMCSA–2017–0373] Hours of Service of Drivers: Application for Exemption; STC, Inc. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of application for exemption; request for comments. AGENCY: FMCSA announces that the STC, Inc (STC) has requested an exemption from the requirement that motor carriers and their drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) use an electronic logging device (ELD) to record driver hours-of-service (HOS). STC is a motor carrier that uses up to 75 CMVs to transport propane fuel and anhydrous ammonia. It states that because STC’s CMV operations are seasonal and dependent on the weather, the ELD requirement creates an undue financial burden on its business. STC states that its operations under the exemption would achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved absent the proposed exemption. FMCSA requests public comment on STC’s application for exemption. DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 9, 2018. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) Number FMCSA–2017–0373 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: Docket Management Facility, 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., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. • Fax: 1–202–493–2251. • Each submission must include the Agency name and the docket number 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 SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\10JAP1.SGM 10JAP1 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 10, 2018 / Proposed Rules 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. The on-line FDMS is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. 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. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information concerning this notice, contact Mr. Tom Yager, Chief, FMCSA Driver and Carrier Operations Division; Office of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle Safety Standards; Telephone: 614–942– 6477. Email: MCPSD@dot.gov. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, contact Docket Services, telephone (202) 366–9826. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with PROPOSALS I. Public Participation and Request for Comments FMCSA encourages you to participate by submitting comments and related materials. If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this notice (FMCSA–2017–0373), 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 comments online, go to www.regulations.gov and put the docket number, ‘‘FMCSA–2017–0373’’ in the ‘‘Keyword’’ box, and click ‘‘Search.’’ When the new screen appears, click on ‘‘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 81⁄2 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 VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:20 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt 244001 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 to grant exemptions from certain parts of the 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 also 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 decision of the Agency must be published 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 also specify the effective period and explain the terms and conditions of the exemption. The exemption may be renewed (49 CFR 381.300(b)). III. Request for Exemption The hours of service (HOS) rules (49 CFR part 395) prescribe the duty-time limits and rest requirements for interstate drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). The rules also require most drivers of CMVs in interstate commerce to use electronic logging devices (ELDs)—not handwritten logbooks—to document their HOS duty status (49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(i)). STC is a motor carrier that uses up to 75 CMVs to transport propane fuel and anhydrous ammonia. It has applied for exemption because purchasing ELDs after two years of reduced revenue places an undue financial burden on the company. It further states that installing ELDs in all its CMVs is burdensome because it does not operate year-round, and because its operations are dependent on the weather. It states that it cannot afford to outfit CMVs with ELDs if they are only going to sit idle. STC asserts that its drivers will continue to employ paper logs if the exemption is granted, and that this would achieve a level of safety PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 1223 equivalent to the level of safety that would be achieved if an ELD was used for recording the duty status of its drivers. A copy of STC’s application for exemption is available for review in the docket for this notice. Issued on: December 29, 2017. Larry W. Minor, Associate Administrator for Policy. [FR Doc. 2018–00248 Filed 1–9–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 [Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2017–0082; FXES11130900000C2–178–FF09E42000] RIN 1018–BB76 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Monito Gecko (Sphaerodactylus micropithecus) From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Proposed rule; availability of draft post-delisting monitoring plan. AGENCY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to remove the Monito gecko (Sphaerodactylus micropithecus) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to recovery. This determination is based on a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information, which indicates that this species has recovered, and the threats to this species have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the species no longer meets the definition of an endangered species or a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. We seek information, data, and comments from the public regarding this proposal to delist the Monito gecko, and on the draft postdelisting monitoring plan. DATES: To allow us adequate time to consider your comments on this proposed rule, we must receive your comments on or before March 12, 2018. We must receive requests for public hearings in writing, at the address shown in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, by February 26, 2018. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this proposed rule and draft postdelisting monitoring plan by one of the following methods: • Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\10JAP1.SGM 10JAP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 1222-1223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00248]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 395

[Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0373]


Hours of Service of Drivers: Application for Exemption; STC, Inc.

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

ACTION: Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: FMCSA announces that the STC, Inc (STC) has requested an 
exemption from the requirement that motor carriers and their drivers of 
commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) use an electronic logging device (ELD) 
to record driver hours-of-service (HOS). STC is a motor carrier that 
uses up to 75 CMVs to transport propane fuel and anhydrous ammonia. It 
states that because STC's CMV operations are seasonal and dependent on 
the weather, the ELD requirement creates an undue financial burden on 
its business. STC states that its operations under the exemption would 
achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level 
that would be achieved absent the proposed exemption. FMCSA requests 
public comment on STC's application for exemption.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 9, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Federal Docket 
Management System (FDMS) Number FMCSA-2017-0373 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: Docket Management Facility, 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., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Each submission must include the Agency name and the 
docket number 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

[[Page 1223]]

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. The on-line FDMS is available 24 hours each 
day, 365 days each year.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information concerning this 
notice, contact Mr. Tom Yager, Chief, FMCSA Driver and Carrier 
Operations Division; Office of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle Safety 
Standards; Telephone: 614-942-6477. Email: [email protected]. If you have 
questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, contact 
Docket Services, telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    FMCSA encourages you to participate by submitting comments and 
related materials. If you submit a comment, please include the docket 
number for this notice (FMCSA-2017-0373), 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 comments online, go to www.regulations.gov and put 
the docket number, ``FMCSA-2017-0373'' in the ``Keyword'' box, and 
click ``Search.'' When the new screen appears, click on ``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 to grant 
exemptions from certain parts of the 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 also 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 decision of 
the Agency must be published 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 also specify the effective period and explain 
the terms and conditions of the exemption. The exemption may be renewed 
(49 CFR 381.300(b)).

III. Request for Exemption

    The hours of service (HOS) rules (49 CFR part 395) prescribe the 
duty-time limits and rest requirements for interstate drivers of 
commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). The rules also require most drivers 
of CMVs in interstate commerce to use electronic logging devices 
(ELDs)--not handwritten logbooks--to document their HOS duty status (49 
CFR 395.8(a)(1)(i)).
    STC is a motor carrier that uses up to 75 CMVs to transport propane 
fuel and anhydrous ammonia. It has applied for exemption because 
purchasing ELDs after two years of reduced revenue places an undue 
financial burden on the company. It further states that installing ELDs 
in all its CMVs is burdensome because it does not operate year-round, 
and because its operations are dependent on the weather. It states that 
it cannot afford to outfit CMVs with ELDs if they are only going to sit 
idle.
    STC asserts that its drivers will continue to employ paper logs if 
the exemption is granted, and that this would achieve a level of safety 
equivalent to the level of safety that would be achieved if an ELD was 
used for recording the duty status of its drivers. A copy of STC's 
application for exemption is available for review in the docket for 
this notice.

    Issued on: December 29, 2017.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2018-00248 Filed 1-9-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P

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