[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37457-37458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14990]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistic

[Docket No. BTS-00-7489]


Motor Carrier Financial and Operating Information; Requests for 
Exemptions From Public Release of Reports

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Class I and Class II motor carriers of property and household 
goods are required to file annual and quarterly reports with the Bureau 
of Transportation Statistics (BTS). As provided by statute, carriers 
may request that their reports be withheld from public release. BTS has 
received three requests covering the 1999 annual report, which also 
request an exemption from public release of the 2000 quarterly reports. 
BTS invites comments on these requests.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by July 14, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please direct comments to the Docket Clerk, Docket No. BTS-
00-7489, Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 
PL-401, Washington, DC 20590, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except federal holidays.
    Comments should identify the docket number and be submitted in 
duplicate to the address listed above. Commenters wishing the 
Department to acknowledge receipt of their comments must submit with 
those comments a self-addressed stamped postcard on which the following 
statement is made: Comments on Docket BTS-00-7489. The Docket Clerk 
will date stamp the postcard and mail it back to the commenter.
    If you wish to file comments using the Internet, you may use the US 
DOT Dockets Management System website at http://dms.dot.gov. Please 
follow the instructions online for more information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Mednick, K-1, Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590; (202) 366-8871; fax: (202) 366-3640; e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6e0a0f18070a40030b0a00070d052e0c1a1d40090118"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6105001708054f0c04050f08020a210315124f060e17">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 49 U.S.C. 14123 and its implementing 
regulations at 49 CFR 1420, BTS collects financial and operating 
information from for-hire motor carriers of property and household 
goods. The data are collected on annual Form M, filed by Class I and 
Class II carriers, and quarterly Form QFR, filed only by Class I 
carriers. The data are used by the Department of Transportation, other 
federal agencies, motor carriers, shippers, industry analysts, labor 
unions, segments of the insurance industry, investment analysts, and 
the consultants and data vendors that support these users. Among the 
uses of the data are: (1) Developing the U.S. national accounts and 
preparing the quarterly estimates of the Gross Domestic Product, which 
help us better understand the U.S. economy and the motor carrier 
industry's role in it; (2) measuring the performance of the for-hire 
motor carrier industry and segments within it; (3) monitoring carrier 
safety; (4) benchmarking carrier performance; and (5) analyzing motor 
carrier safety and productivity.
    Generally, all data are made publicly available. A carrier can, 
however, request that its report be withheld from public release, as 
provided for by statute, 49 U.S.C. 14123(c)(2), and its implementing 
regulations, 49 CFR 1420.9. BTS will grant a request upon a proper 
showing that the carrier is not a publicly held corporation or that the 
carrier is not subject to financial reporting requirements of the 
Securities and Exchange Commission, and that the exemption is necessary 
to avoid competitive harm and to avoid the disclosure of information 
that qualifies as trade secret or privileged or confidential 
information under 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4).
    The carrier must submit a written request containing supporting 
information. BTS must receive the request by the report's due date, 
unless it is postmarked by the due date or there are extenuating 
circumstances. Requests covering the quarterly reports must be received 
by the due date of the annual report that relates to the prior year. In

[[Page 37458]]

its request, a carrier may want or need to present information that is 
itself confidential. In this case, the carrier must clearly identify 
the information contained in its submittal that it believes should be 
protected from public release and provide information supporting its 
claim of confidential treatment. If BTS agrees, it will withhold the 
identified information.
    In accordance with our regulations, after each due date of each 
annual report BTS then publishes a notice, such as this one, in the 
Federal Register requesting comments on any requests it has received. 
After considering the requests and comments, BTS will decide to grant 
or deny each request no later than 90 days after the request's due 
date. While a decision is pending, BTS will not publicly release the 
report except as allowed under 49 CFR 1420.10(c).

Request for Comments

    BTS invites comments on several carrier requests for exemption from 
public release. These requests cover the 1999 annual report and the 
2000 quarterly reports. Comments should be made within the context of 
the governing regulations at 49 CFR 1420.9, which were published in the 
Federal Register on March 23, 1999 (64 FR 13916). We are inviting your 
comments on requests from the following carriers:

H&R Transport, Inc. (MC 148000)
PGT Trucking, Inc. (MC 155377)
Reliable Carriers, Inc. (MC 172994)

    If you wish to read their exemption requests and the comments 
submitted in response to this Notice, use the DOT Dockets Management 
System. This is located at the Department of Transportation, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590, and is open 
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal 
holidays. Internet users can access the Dockets Management System at 
http://dms.dot.gov. Please follow the instructions online for more 
information and help.
    You must also use to Dockets Management System if you wish to 
comment on one or more exemption requests. Please follow the 
instructions listed above under ADDRESSES.

Ashish Sen,
Director.
[FR Doc. 00-14990 Filed 6-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-FE-P


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