Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration July 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces its decision to renew a Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) exemption on behalf of truck and bus drivers who are licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia and need a Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) Certificate from FMCSA to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMV) in interstate commerce. The exemption enables interstate CMV drivers who are licensed in Virginia and are subject to the Federal SPE requirements under 49 CFR 391.49 to continue to fulfill the Federal requirements with a State-issued SPE and to operate CMVs in interstate commerce anywhere in the United States.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requests public comment on an application for exemption from Groendyke Transport, Inc. (Groendyke) to allow the use of a pulsating brake lamp in addition to the steady burning brake lamps required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) in its fleet operations. The FMCSRs require all exterior lamps (both required lamps and any additional lamps) to be steady-burning, with the exception of turn signal lamps, hazard warning signal lamps, school bus warning lamps, amber warning lamps or flashing warning lamps on tow trucks and commercial motor vehicles (CMV) transporting oversized loads, and warning lamps on emergency and service vehicles authorized by State or local authorities. Groendyke believes that operating a pulsating brake lamp on the rear of its trailers on a fleet-wide basis would allow the company to operate its equipment more effectively, efficiently, and safely, and would maintain a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level that it would achieve without the requested exemption.

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt eight individuals from the requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers have ``no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control a CMV.'' The exemptions enable these individuals who have had one or more seizures and are taking anti- seizure medication to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 30 individuals for an exemption from the hearing requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. If granted, the exemptions would enable these hard of hearing and deaf individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for 133 individuals from its prohibition in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) against persons with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) from operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. The exemptions enable these individuals with ITDM to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for 100 individuals from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The exemptions enable these individuals to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the vision requirements in one eye.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from nine individuals for an exemption from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. If granted, the exemptions will enable these individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the vision requirement in one eye.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for 15 individuals from the hearing requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The exemptions enable these hard of hearing and deaf individuals to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for three individuals from the requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers have ``no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control a CMV.'' The exemptions enable these individuals who have had one or more seizures and are taking anti-seizure medication to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 60 individuals for an exemption from the prohibition in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) against persons with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. If granted, the exemptions would enable these individuals with ITDM to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces that it has received an application from Waste Management Holdings, Inc., (WMH) requesting an exemption from the requirement of the hours-of-service (HOS) regulations that drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) qualifying for the ``short-haul100 air-mile radius driver'' exception must return to the original work reporting location within 12 hours of coming on duty. WMH asks that its short-haul CMV drivers be permitted to return within 14 hours withour losing their short-haul status. FMCSA requests public comment on WMH's application for exemption.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 54 individuals for an exemption from the prohibition in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) against persons with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. If granted, the exemptions would enable these individuals with ITDM to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review and approval and invites public comment. This new request titled ``Truck and Bus Maintenance Requirements and Their Impact on Safety'' will allow for a study that focuses on vehicle maintenance and aims to determine the impact of vehicle maintenance requirements on overall motor carrier safety. This information collection supports the DOT Strategic Goal of Safety.

The FMCSA announces a public listening session on July 12, 2018, to solicit information on issues relating to the design, development, testing, and integration of automated driving systems (ADS) equipped commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) on our Nation's roadways. The listening session will provide interested parties an opportunity to share their views on the FMCSRs as they relate to the development and safe integration of ADS. It will also allow FMCSA to share with stakeholders the ADS strategy and open a channel for two-way communication. This listening session will supplement the information gathered from FMCSA's previous requests for comment on issues related to automation. The session will be conducted at the same location as the 2018 Automated Vehicles Symposium sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and the Transportation Research Board. During the session representatives from FMCSA and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will solicit information on issues relating to the design, development, testing and integration of ADS- equipped commercial vehicles. Attendees are also encouraged to share any data or analysis on this topic with FMCSA and FHWA representatives.

FMCSA is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, FMCSA is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment. Pursuant to Section 5404 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, 2015 (FAST Act), FMCSA proposes a 3-year period of information collection to determine whether the safety outcomes (to include crashes, moving violations, inspection violations, and safety critical events as available) of drivers under the age of 21 with military experience in the operation of heavy vehicles (i.e., ``covered drivers'') participating in interstate commerce are similar to the safety outcomes of commercial motor vehicle drivers (CMV) drivers between the ages of 21 and 24 operating freight-carrying CMVs, and how training and experience impact the safety of the 18- to 20-year-old driving population. FMCSA proposed this pilot program and solicited public comment on August 22, 2016. The prior 60-day notice sought comment on program operations, including whether any additional safeguards are needed to ensure that the pilot program provides a level of safety equivalent to current safety levels. Additional details on the broader pilot program are available through a separate notice published in today's Federal Register.