Department of Transportation November 4, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Legacy Limousines and Luxury Coaches has petitioned NHTSA for a temporary exemption from the requirement to install Type 2 seat belts (i.e., shoulder belts) at side-facing locations in the company's motorcoaches. The petitioner is a final-stage manufacturer of entertainer-type motorcoaches, seeking temporary exemption from the shoulder belt requirement of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant crash protection," for side-facing seats on motorcoaches. The petitioner seeks to install Type 1 seat belts (lap belt only) at side-facing seating positions, instead of the Type 2 seat belts (lap and shoulder belts) required by FMVSS No. 208. The petitioner states that, absent the requested exemption, it will otherwise be unable to sell a vehicle whose overall level of safety or impact protection is at least equal to that of a nonexempted vehicle. NHTSA is publishing this document to notify the public of the receipt of the petition and to request comment on it, in accordance with statutory and administrative provisions.

The FAA has determined that the minimum random drug and alcohol testing percentage rates for the period January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025, will remain at 25 percent of safety- sensitive employees for random drug testing and 10 percent of safety-sensitive employees for random alcohol testing.

This action amends the Class E airspace at South Haven, MI. This action is the result of an airspace review conducted due to the decommissioning of the Pullman very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program. The geographic coordinates of the South Haven Regional Airport, South Haven, MI, and the name of Cromwell Health Watervliet Community Hospital Heliport, Watervliet, MI, are also being updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database. This action brings the airspace into compliance with FAA orders and supports instrument flight rule (IFR) procedures and operations.

A final rule was published in the Federal Register on August 19, 2024, revoking Class E surface airspace for Manchester Boston Regional Airport, Manchester, NH, as the overlying Class C airspace deemed the Class E surface airspace unnecessary. The FAA has determined that withdrawal of the final rule is warranted since this action was inconsistent with the associated notice of proposed rulemaking that referenced Class E surface airspace.