Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration August 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces that it has received an application for exemption from The Trucking Alliance, a group comprised of the following motor carriers: Cargo Transporters; Dupr[eacute] Logistics LLC; Frozen Food Express; J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.; KLLM Transport Services; Knight Transportation; Maverick Transportation LLC; Schneider; Swift Transportation; USXpress; and May Trucking Company. The Trucking Alliance applied for an exemption from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) ``to amend the definition of actual knowledge to include the employer's knowledge of a driver's positive hair test, which would require such results be reported to the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (``Clearinghouse'') and to inquiring carriers.'' Although FMCSA lacks the statutory authority to grant the Trucking Alliance's request for exemption until the Department of Health and Human Services has taken certain action, FMCSA requests public comment on the exemption application, as required by statute.

FMCSA announces that Ronnie Brown III requests an exemption from the federal hours of service (HOS) and electronic logging device (ELD) regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations. The applicant requests the exemption for himself only for a 5-year period. FMCSA requests public comment on Mr. Brown's request for exemption.

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 review and approval. This notice invites comment on the information collection titled ``Acknowledgement of Use of COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Relief,'' which is currently approved on an emergency basis and allows FMCSA to collect information from motor carriers engaged in providing direct assistance in response to certain emergency declarations issued by the Agency to provide regulatory relief for such carriers in continued support of the Nation's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recovery efforts. OMB approved this collection on an emergency basis and subsequently extended that emergency approval. The extension of the emergency approval expires on August 31, 2022. No comments were received in response to the 60-day Federal Register notice.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 18 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 that the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) has applied for an exemption for commercial driver's license (CDL) applicants seeking a school bus endorsement, from the engine compartment portion of the pre-trip vehicle inspection skills testing requirement, known as the ``under-the-hood'' testing requirement. Drivers issued a CDL pursuant to the requested exemption would be restricted to the intrastate operation of school buses only. FMCSA requests public comment on the applicant's request for exemption.

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. FMCSA requests approval to renew an ICR entitled ``Designation of Agents, Motor Carriers, Brokers and Freight Forwarders,'' OMB control number 2126-0015. This is necessary to provide motor carriers, property brokers, and freight forwarders a means of meeting process agent requirements.

FMCSA requests public comment on an application for exemption from Daimler Coaches North America, LLC to allow its driver assistance camera technology to be mounted higher in the lower area of the windshield on commercial motor vehicles than is currently permitted.