Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration November 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces its decision to grant an exemption to Transecurity LLC (Transecurity) that will allow the placement of an onboard safety monitoring system (OBMS) at the bottom of windshields on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) currently require antennas, transponders, and similar devices to be located not more than 6 inches below the upper edge of the windshield, outside the area swept by the windshield wipers, and outside the driver's sight lines to the road and highway signs and signals. Transecurity is coordinating the development and installation of camera-based monitoring systems in up to 500 CMVs operating throughout the United States in support of research being conducted on behalf of FMCSA. The exemption would enable motor carriers to participate in a field operation test to evaluate the system and allow for on-road data collection. FMCSA believes that permitting the OBMS to be mounted lower than currently allowed, but still outside the driver's sight lines to the road and highway signs and signals, will maintain a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety achieved without the exemption.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 16 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to or greater than the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 18 individuals for exemption from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. They are unable to meet the vision requirement in one eye for various reasons. The exemptions will enable these individuals to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce without meeting the prescribed vision requirement in one eye. If granted, the exemptions would enable these individuals to qualify as drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces that its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) will meet from Monday-Wednesday, December 3-5, 2012, in Alexandria, VA. On Monday, December 3, the Agency will assign the MCSAC a new task concerning entry-level driver training (ELDT) and provide briefings on previous rulemaking actions, research and data analyses on the issue, and the ELDT provision in the recently enacted Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Surface Transportation Act. On Tuesday, December 4, the MCSAC will receive staff-level briefings from the DOT Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and General Accountability Office (GAO) on their oversight responsibilities with regard to the DOT and MCSAC. On Wednesday, the MCSAC's Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Subcommittee will be provided with presentations and a panel discussion from researchers and data analyst concerning the CSA Safety Measurement System and will continue its deliberations. Meetings are open to the public for their entirety and there will be a public comment period at the end of each day. Times and Dates: The meeting will be held Monday-Tuesday, December 3-4, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time (E.D.T.), and on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., E.D.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 meeting will be made available in advance of the meeting at https:// mcsac.fmcsa.dot.gov.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 12 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to or greater than the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 32 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to or greater than the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.