Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application for an Exemption From Robert Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC, 5534-5535 [2020-01763]

Download as PDF 5534 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 20 / Thursday, January 30, 2020 / Notices 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.transportation.gov/privacy. II. Background On December 4, 2019, FMCSA published a notice announcing its decision to renew exemptions for four individuals from the hearing standard in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(11) to operate a CMV in interstate commerce and requested comments from the public (84 FR 66451). The public comment period ended on January 3, 2020, and no comments were received. FMCSA has evaluated the eligibility of these applicants and determined that renewing these exemptions would achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved by complying with § 391.41(b)(11). The physical qualification standard for drivers regarding hearing found in § 391.41(b)(11) states that a person is physically qualified to drive a CMV if that person first perceives a forced whispered voice in the better ear at not less than 5 feet with or without the use of a hearing aid or, if tested by use of an audiometric device, does not have an average hearing loss in the better ear greater than 40 decibels at 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz with or without a hearing aid when the audiometric device is calibrated to American National Standard (formerly ASA Standard) Z24.5–1951. This standard was adopted in 1970 and was revised in 1971 to allow drivers to be qualified under this standard while wearing a hearing aid, 35 FR 6458, 6463 (April 22, 1970) and 36 FR 12857 (July 3, 1971). khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES III. Discussion of Comments FMCSA received no comments in this proceeding. IV. Conclusion Based upon its evaluation of the four renewal exemption applications, FMCSA announces its decision to exempt the following drivers from the hearing requirement in § 391.41 (b)(11). As of November 15, 2019, and in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315(b), the following four individuals have satisfied the renewal conditions for obtaining an exemption from the hearing requirement in the FMCSRs for interstate CMV drivers (84 FR 66451): Daniel T. Harnish (UT) Tami S. Richardson-Nelson (NE) Anthony J. Saive (OH) Jennifer L. Valentine (TX) VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:56 Jan 29, 2020 Jkt 250001 The drivers were included in docket number FMCSA–2014–0383 or FMCSA– 2014–0387 or FMCSA–2015–0325. Jennifer Valentine was previously published under the name Jennifer Campbell. Their exemptions are applicable as of November 15, 2019, and will expire on November 15, 2021. In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b), each exemption will be valid for 2 years from the effective date unless revoked earlier by FMCSA. The exemption will be revoked if the following occurs: (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 prior to being granted; or (3) continuation of the exemption would not be consistent with the goals and objectives of 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315(b). Issued on: January 17, 2020. Larry W. Minor, Associate Administrator for Policy. [FR Doc. 2020–01758 Filed 1–29–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration [Docket No. FMCSA–2019–0286] Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application for an Exemption From Robert Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of application for exemption; request for comments. AGENCY: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requests public comment on an application for exemption from Robert Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC to allow motor carriers to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) equipped with the company’s CV [Commercial Vehicle] Digital Mirror System installed as an alternative to the two rear-vision mirrors required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR). DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 2, 2020. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments bearing the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) Docket ID FMCSA– 2019–0286 using any of the following methods: • Website: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00168 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 instructions for submitting comments on the Federal electronic docket site. • Fax: 1–202–493–2251. • Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590– 0001. • Hand Delivery: Ground Floor, Room W12–140, DOT Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. e.t., Monday– Friday, except Federal holidays. Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and docket number for this notice. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional information on the exemption process, see the ‘‘Public Participation’’ heading below. 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 for further information. Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to https:// www.regulations.gov or to Room W12– 140, DOT Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. 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 https:// www.regulations.gov website is generally available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. You may find electronic submission and retrieval help and guidelines under the ‘‘help’’ section of the https://www.regulations.gov website as well as the DOT’s https:// docketsinfo.dot.gov website. If you would like notification that we received your comments, please include a selfaddressed, stamped envelope or postcard or print the acknowledgment page that appears after submitting comments online. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Luke Loy, Vehicle and Roadside Operations Division, Office of Carrier, Driver, and Vehicle Safety, MC–PSV, (202) 366–0676, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590– 0001. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: E:\FR\FM\30JAN1.SGM 30JAN1 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 20 / Thursday, January 30, 2020 / Notices Background I. 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 is required to publish notice of exemption requests in the Federal Register (49 U.S.C. 31315(b)(6)(A)). This notice seeks public comment on the request posted to the docket referenced above; the Agency takes no position on its merits. FMCSA will review the request and all comments submitted to the docket before deciding whether to grant or deny the exemption. khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES II. Robert Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC Application for Exemption Section 393.80(a) of the FMCSRs requires that each bus, truck, and trucktractor be equipped with two rear-vision mirrors, one at each side. The mirrors must be positioned to reflect to the driver a view of the highway to the rear and the area along both sides of the CMV. Section 393.80(a) cross-references the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s standard for mirrors on motor vehicles (49 CFR 571.111, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard [FMVSS] No. 111). Paragraph S7.1 of FMVSS No. 111 provides requirements for mirrors on multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 4,536 kg and less than 11,340 kg and each bus, other than a school bus, with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kg. Paragraph S8.1 provides requirements for mirrors on multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a GVWR of 11,340 kg or more. Robert Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC have applied for an exemption from 393.80(a) to allow motor carriers to operate CMVs equipped with the company’s CV Digital Mirror System installed as an alternative to the two rear-vision mirrors required by the FMCSRs. A copy of the application is included in the docket referenced at the beginning of this notice. III. Request for Comments In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b)(6), FMCSA requests public comment from all interested persons on the application for an exemption from 49 CFR 393.80(a). 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 VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:56 Jan 29, 2020 Jkt 250001 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. Issued on: January 27, 2020. Larry W. Minor, Associate Administrator for Policy. [FR Doc. 2020–01763 Filed 1–29–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration [Docket Number FRA–2020–0009] Petition for Waiver of Compliance Under part 211 of title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), this provides the public notice that on January 13, 2020, the Metropolitan Council’s Metro Transit Division (Metro Transit), petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad safety regulations contained at 49 CFR parts 214, 219, 220, 229, 235, and 236. FRA assigned the petition Docket Number FRA–2020– 0009. Metro Transit operates two rail fixed guideway transit systems in Minnesota—the METRO Blue and Green light rail transit (LRT) Lines. Currently, the Green Line is 11 miles in length with 18 stations between Target Field Station in downtown Minneapolis, and Union Depot Station in downtown St. Paul, sharing 5 stations in downtown Minneapolis with the Blue Line. The Green Line LRT Extension Project, also known as Southwest Light Rail Transit Line (SWLRT), will add approximately 14.5 miles of standard-gage light rail double-track with 16 new passenger stations within Hennepin County, Minnesota, to the existing Green Line LRT operations. The SWLRT project will extend the existing Green Line from the Target Field/Interchange Station near the central business district of downtown Minneapolis through the communities of St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie, passing near Edina. The SWLRT line will terminate at the Southwest Station in Eden Prairie. Construction of the SWLRT Project began in 2019 with the projected opening for revenue service operations in 2023. PO 00000 Frm 00169 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 5535 SWLRT will be constructed adjacent to freight rail service operated by Twin Cities & Western Railroad (TCWR) in the Kenilworth Corridor and a portion of the Bass Lake Spur, and adjacent to freight rail service operated by BNSF Railway (BNSF) in the Wayzata Subdivision. Typical track center spacing averages 25 feet or more throughout this shared corridor. SWLRT and TCWR will share use of five highway-rail grade crossings (HRGC) on the Kenilworth Corridor and Bass Lake Spur located at 21st Street South in Minneapolis, Beltline Boulevard and Wooddale Avenue in St. Louis Park, and 5th Avenue South and Blake Road North in Hopkins. There are no shared HRGCs on the BNSF Wayzata Subdivision. An intrusion detection system will be installed wherever typical spacing for track centers between SWLRT and freight tracks is less than 50 feet. On the Bass Lake Spur (Milepost (MP) 16.3/428.38 to MP 435.06), the Metropolitan Council has, on Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority’s behalf, contracted with third parties to perform freight rail operations maintenance, dispatching, and flagging services. The SWLRT track and signal system is wholly separate and distinct from any adjacent freight tracks and related equipment. Metro Transit will maintain its own track and signals in the SWLRT, and only Metro Transit Signal and Train Control employees will be working on signal and train control equipment at the five shared HRGCs. Specifically, Metro Transit seeks a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of FRA regulations applicable to the limited connections of the SWLRT to the general railroad system at five shared HRGCs, stating it has alternative procedures in place on its existing Green Line operations which are comparable from a substantive perspective to FRA safety regulations. Moreover, Metro Transit states the waivers would promote consistency in the standard operating procedures followed by Metro Transit in its Green Line LRT operations and provide an equivalent level of safety to the corresponding FRA regulations. A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications concerning the petition, is available for review online at www.regulations.gov and in person at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12–140, Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Operations Facility is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. E:\FR\FM\30JAN1.SGM 30JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5534-5535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01763]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2019-0286]


Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application 
for an Exemption From Robert Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC

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

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

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

SUMMARY: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) 
requests public comment on an application for exemption from Robert 
Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC to allow motor carriers to 
operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) equipped with the company's CV 
[Commercial Vehicle] Digital Mirror System installed as an alternative 
to the two rear-vision mirrors required by the Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Regulations (FMCSR).

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 2, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments bearing the Federal Docket 
Management System (FDMS) Docket ID FMCSA-2019-0286 using any of the 
following methods:
     Website: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on the Federal electronic docket 
site.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 
20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Ground Floor, Room W12-140, DOT Building, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
e.t., Monday-Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and 
docket number for this notice. For detailed instructions on submitting 
comments and additional information on the exemption process, see the 
``Public Participation'' heading below. 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 for further information.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov or to Room W12-140, 
DOT Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    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 https://www.regulations.gov website is 
generally available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. You may find 
electronic submission and retrieval help and guidelines under the 
``help'' section of the https://www.regulations.gov website as well as 
the DOT's https://docketsinfo.dot.gov website. If you would like 
notification that we received your comments, please include a self-
addressed, stamped envelope or postcard or print the acknowledgment 
page that appears after submitting comments online.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Luke Loy, Vehicle and Roadside 
Operations Division, Office of Carrier, Driver, and Vehicle Safety, MC-
PSV, (202) 366-0676, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 5535]]

Background

I. 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 is required to publish notice of exemption 
requests in the Federal Register (49 U.S.C. 31315(b)(6)(A)). This 
notice seeks public comment on the request posted to the docket 
referenced above; the Agency takes no position on its merits. FMCSA 
will review the request and all comments submitted to the docket before 
deciding whether to grant or deny the exemption.

II. Robert Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC Application for 
Exemption

    Section 393.80(a) of the FMCSRs requires that each bus, truck, and 
truck-tractor be equipped with two rear-vision mirrors, one at each 
side. The mirrors must be positioned to reflect to the driver a view of 
the highway to the rear and the area along both sides of the CMV. 
Section 393.80(a) cross-references the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration's standard for mirrors on motor vehicles (49 CFR 
571.111, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard [FMVSS] No. 111). 
Paragraph S7.1 of FMVSS No. 111 provides requirements for mirrors on 
multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle weight 
rating (GVWR) greater than 4,536 kg and less than 11,340 kg and each 
bus, other than a school bus, with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kg. 
Paragraph S8.1 provides requirements for mirrors on multipurpose 
passenger vehicles and trucks with a GVWR of 11,340 kg or more. Robert 
Bosch LLC and Mekra Lang North America LLC have applied for an 
exemption from 393.80(a) to allow motor carriers to operate CMVs 
equipped with the company's CV Digital Mirror System installed as an 
alternative to the two rear-vision mirrors required by the FMCSRs. A 
copy of the application is included in the docket referenced at the 
beginning of this notice.

III. Request for Comments

    In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b)(6), FMCSA requests public 
comment from all interested persons on the application for an exemption 
from 49 CFR 393.80(a). 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.

    Issued on: January 27, 2020.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2020-01763 Filed 1-29-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P
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