Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 83 / Tuesday, May 1, 2007 / Notices 23883 

the I–94/I–69 improvements will be a 

part of the Environmental Impact 

Statement. 

Four plaza and transportation 

improvement alternatives have been 

identified within the recommended 

study area. Alternatives will include: (1) 

No-Build Alternative, (2) Township 

alternative with a secured I–94 corridor, 

(3) City alternative with Pine Grove 

Avenue relocated to the east and an 

unsecured I–94 corridor. 

Agency and citizen involvement will 

continue to be solicited throughout this 

process. A public hearing will be held 

on the Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (DEIS). Public notice will be 

given of the time and place of the 

hearing. The DEIS will be available for 

public and agency review and comment 

prior to the public hearing. To ensure that the full range of issues 

related to this proposed action are 

addressed and all significant issues 

identified, comments and suggestions 

are invited from all interested parties. 

Comments or questions concerning this 

proposed action and the EIS should be 

directed to the FHWA at the address 

provided above. 

Issued on: April 20, 2007. 

James J. Steele, 

Division Administrator, Lansing, Michigan. 

[FR Doc. 07–2112 Filed 4–30–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2007–28055] 

Demonstration Project on NAFTA 

Trucking Provisions 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice; request for public 

comment. 

SUMMARY: FMCSA announces the 

initiation of a project to demonstrate the 

ability of Mexico-based motor carriers to 

operate safely in the United States 

beyond the commercial zones along the 

U.S.-Mexico border. The project is part 

of FMCSA’s implementation of the 

North American Free Trade Agreement 

(NAFTA) cross-border trucking 

provisions. The demonstration project 

will allow up to 100 Mexico-domiciled 

motor carriers to operate throughout the 

United States for one year. Up to 100 

U.S.-domiciled motor carriers will be 

granted reciprocal rights to operate in 

Mexico for the same period. 

Participating Mexican carriers and 

drivers will be required to comply with 

all applicable U.S. laws and regulations, 

including those concerned with motor 

carrier safety, customs, immigration, 

vehicle registration and taxation, and 

fuel taxation. The safety of the 

participating carriers will be tracked 

closely by FMCSA and its State 

partners, a joint U.S.-Mexico monitoring 

group, and an evaluation panel 

independent of the Department of 

Transportation (DOT). The resulting 

data will be considered carefully before 

further decisions are made concerning 

the implementation of the NAFTA 

trucking provisions. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before May 31, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by DOT DMS Docket Number 

FMCSA–2007–28055 by any of the 

following methods: <bullet≤ Web Site: http://dms.dot.gov. 

Follow the instructions for submitting 

comments on the DOT electronic docket 

site. 

<bullet≤ Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

<bullet≤ Mail: Docket Management 

Facility, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, 

SW., Nassif Building, Room PL–401, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. <bullet≤ Hand Delivery: Room PL– 

401 on the plaza level of the Nassif 

Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 

Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. <bullet≤ Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

Go to www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the Agency name and docket 

number for this notice. For detailed 

instructions on submitting comments 

and additional information, see the 

Public Participation heading below. 

Note that all comments received will be 

posted without change to http:// 

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information provided. Please see the 

Privacy Act heading below. Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received, go to http:// 

dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL– 

401 on the plaza level of the Nassif 

Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 

Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search 

the electronic form of all comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the comment, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78) or you may visit http:// 

dms.dot.gov. 

Public Participation: The DMS is 

available 24 hours each day, 365 days 

each year. You can get electronic 

submission and retrieval help and 

guidelines under the ‘‘help’’ section of 

the DMS Web site. Comments received 

after the comment closing date will be 

included in the docket, and will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Milt Schmidt, Division Chief, North 

American Borders Division, Federal 

Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 

DC 20590–0001. Telephone (202) 366– 

4049; e-mail milt.schmidt@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Before 1982, Mexico- and Canadadomiciled motor carriers could apply to 

the Interstate Commerce Commission 

(ICC) for authority to operate within the 

United States. As a result of complaints 

that U.S. motor carriers were not 

allowed the same access to Mexican and 

Canadian markets that carriers from 

those nations enjoyed in this country, 

the Bus Regulatory Reform Act of 1982 

imposed a moratorium on the issuance 

of new grants of operating authority to 

motor carriers domiciled, or owned or 

controlled by someone, in Canada or 

Mexico. While the disagreement with 

Canada was quickly resolved, the issue 

of trucking reciprocity with Mexico was 

not. Currently, most Mexican carriers 

are allowed to operate only within the 

border commercial zones extending 

approximately 25 miles into the United 

States. Every year Mexico-domiciled 

commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) 

cross into the U.S. about 4.5 million 

times. U.S.-domiciled motor carriers are 

not authorized to operate in Mexico at 

all. 

Trucking issues at the U.S./Mexico 

border were not fully addressed until 

NAFTA in the early 1990s, when both 

nations agreed to change their policies. 

NAFTA required the United States 

incrementally to lift the moratorium on 

licensing Mexico-domiciled motor 

carriers to operate beyond the border 

zones. On January 1, 1994, the President 

modified the moratorium and the ICC 

began accepting applications from 

Mexico-domiciled passenger carriers to 

conduct international charter and tour 

bus operations in the United States. In 

December 1995, the ICC published a 

rule and a revised application form for 

the processing of Mexico-domiciled 


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23884 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 83 / Tuesday, May 1, 2007 / Notices 

property carrier applications (Form OP– 

1(MX)). These rules anticipated the 

implementation of the second phase of 

NAFTA, providing Mexican property 

carriers access to California, Arizona, 

New Mexico and Texas, and the third 

phase, providing access throughout the 

United States. However, at the end of 

1995, the United States announced an 

indefinite delay in opening the border to 

long-haul Mexican CMVs. 

After the Administration announced 

its intent to resume the process for 

opening the border in 2001, Congress 

enacted section 350 of the DOT and 

Related Agencies Appropriations Act for 

Fiscal Year 2002 (Pub. L. 107–87, 115 

Stat. 833, at 864). Section 350 

prohibited FMCSA from using Federal 

funds to review or process applications 

from Mexico-domiciled motor carriers 

to operate beyond the border 

commercial zones until certain 

preconditions and safety requirements 

were met. The requirements of section 

350 have been reenacted in each 

subsequent DOT Appropriations Act. 

The rulemaking requirements of the Act 

were met by a series of rules published 

on March 19, 2002 (67 FR 12653, 67 FR 

12702, 67 FR 12758, 67 FR 12776) and 

a further rule published on May 13, 

2002 (67 FR 31978). 

In November 2002, Secretary of 

Transportation Norman Mineta 

certified, as required by section 

350(c)(2), that authorizing Mexican 

carrier operations beyond the border 

commercial zones does not pose an 

unacceptable safety risk to the American 

public. Later that month, the President 

modified the moratorium to permit 

Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to 

provide cross-border cargo and 

scheduled passenger transportation 

beyond the border commercial zones. 

The Secretary’s certification was made 

in response to the June 25, 2002, report 

of DOT’s Office of Inspector General 

(OIG) on the implementation of safety 

requirements at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

In a January 2005 follow-up report, the 

OIG concluded that FMCSA had 

sufficient staff, facilities, equipment, 

and procedures in place to substantially 

meet the eight Section 350 requirements 

the OIG was required to review. 

On February 23, 2007, United States 

Secretary of Transportation Mary E. 

Peters and Mexico Secretary of 

Communications and Transportation 

Luis Te ́llez Kuenzler announced a 

demonstration project to implement the 

trucking provisions of NAFTA. The 

purpose of the project is to demonstrate 

the effectiveness of the safety programs 

adopted by Mexico-domiciled motor 

carriers and the monitoring and 

enforcement systems developed by 

DOT, which together ensure that 

Mexican motor carriers operating in the 

United States can maintain the same 

level of highway safety as U.S.-based 

motor carriers. 

Demonstration Project Description 

The demonstration project has a oneyear limit. It will allow up to 100 

Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to 

operate beyond the border commercial 

zones and transport international cargo 

throughout the United States. For 

purposes of the demonstration project, 

‘‘international cargo’’ means cargo 

transported by Mexico-domiciled motor 

carriers in CMVs from Mexico to the 

United States, with no loading in the 

United States, or from the United States 

to Mexico, with no unloading in the 

United States [49 CFR 365.501(b)]. 

Drivers for participating motor carriers 

must comply with the entry 

requirements of the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS). Under DHS 

regulations, ‘‘[p]urely domestic [U.S.] 

service or solicitation [by non-U.S. 

drivers], in competition with the United 

States operators [i.e., drivers], is not 

permitted’’ [8 CFR 214.2(b)(4)(i)(E)(1)]. 

Participating motor carriers will be 

required to comply with all State and 

Federal environmental and emission 

regulations. Carriers must certify that 

their vehicles have been manufactured 

in accordance with the National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 

(NHTSA) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 

Standards (FMVSS). 

All Mexico-domiciled participants 

operating in the United States under the 

demonstration project will be required 

to comply with all United States safety 

standards including hours of service, 

driver medical standards, financial 

responsibility, drug and alcohol testing, 

size and weight limits, and the ability to 

communicate in English. Every Mexicodomiciled CMV scheduled to be used 

beyond the border commercial zones 

will undergo an in-depth safety 

inspection before being allowed to 

operate in the U.S. and must display a 

valid Commercial Vehicle Safety 

Alliance (CVSA) inspection decal 

indicating it has passed a thorough 

vehicle inspection. CVSA decals are 

valid for up to 3 consecutive months, so 

follow-up inspections on Mexicodomiciled CMVs will be required at 

least every 3 months. Each vehicle will 

be checked for a valid CVSA decal every 

time it enters the U.S., and the validity 

of each operator’s driver’s license will 

also be checked. The display of a valid 

CVSA decal will not necessarily exempt 

a vehicle from safety inspections. 

Participating motor carriers must file 

proof of insurance underwritten by a 

U.S. insurance company and pay State 

registration fees and State and Federal 

fuel taxes. 

The demonstration project gives 

participants no exemptions from U.S. 

safety requirements. In fact, it requires 

compliance with additional safety 

requirements not applicable to other 

motor carriers operating in this country, 

such as having a current CVSA decal on 

the vehicle at all times, and passing a 

safety audit prior to receiving operating 

authority. Furthermore, under 49 CFR 

385.105, FMCSA has developed 

additional monitoring criteria for 

Mexico-domiciled motor carriers. Every 

vehicle operated by these carriers in the 

U.S. will also be subject to the 

inspection standards in 49 CFR 365.511. 

The demonstration program is 

reciprocal. Up to 100 U.S.-domiciled 

motor carriers will be allowed to operate 

in Mexico on terms similar to those 

applicable to Mexico-domiciled carriers 

operating in this country. The Mexican 

government is finalizing an application 

form and procedures for use by 

interested U.S. motor carriers. 

Process for Applying for OP–1(MX) 

Operating Authority 

To participate in the project, a 

Mexico-domiciled motor carrier must, 

pursuant to regulations already in place, 

submit (1) Form OP–1(MX), entitled 

‘‘Application to Register Mexican 

Carriers for Motor Carrier Authority to 

Operate Beyond U.S. Municipalities and 

Commercial Zones on the U.S.-Mexico 

Border’’; (2) Form MCS–150, the ‘‘Motor 

Carrier Identification Report’’; and (3) 

notification of the means used to 

designate agents for service of legal 

process, either by submitting Form 

BOC–3, ‘‘Designation of Agents—Motor 

Carriers, Brokers and Freight 

Forwarders,’’ or a letter stating that the 

applicant will use a process agent 

service that will submit Form BOC–3 

electronically. The forms are available 

on the Internet at http:// 

www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/op1mx.pdf. The FMCSA will compare the 

information and certifications provided 

in the application with information 

maintained in databases of the 

governments of Mexico and the United 

States. 

FMCSA has developed special rules 

that govern Mexico-domiciled motor 

carriers during the application process 

and for several years after receiving OP– 

1(MX) operating authority. They are 

codified in 49 CFR 365.501 through 

365.511. These rules impose 

requirements on Mexico-domiciled 

motor carriers in addition to those 

imposed on U.S. domiciled motor 

carriers seeking operating authority. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 83 / Tuesday, May 1, 2007 / Notices 23885 

Selection of Carriers To Participate in 

the Demonstration Program 

Several hundred Mexico-domiciled 

carriers have filed a complete OP–1(MX) 

application, and more applications are 

expected. The carriers that were ready 

for an audit were subjected to an 

extensive vetting process. Those known 

to transport hazardous materials or 

passengers were eliminated. All carriers 

were also checked against the FMCSA 

enforcement management information 

database. Carriers were eliminated if 

there were any enforcement actions 

pending, such as unpaid fines, 

unresolved expedited action letters, or 

operating authority suspensions/ 

revocations. The remaining carriers 

were then checked against a U.S. 

database for involvement in illegal drug 

activities. Those that passed the vetting 

process were considered for the 

demonstration project. Other carriers 

may be considered for the project as 

new applications are submitted. 

From among the currently-eligible 

prospective participants, FMCSA is in 

the process of conducting preauthorization safety audits on a group of 

motor carriers diverse both in fleet size 

and geographical location. Of the carrier 

applicants selected by the Agency for 

audit, 18 percent are from non-border 

states in Mexico, while 82 percent are 

domiciled in one of Mexico’s six border 

states. About 46 percent of the 

participants are expected to enter the 

United States through California, 41 

percent through Texas/New Mexico, 

and 13 percent through Arizona. Some 

70 percent of the carrier applicants 

operate small vehicle fleets, while 25 

percent have medium-sized and 5 

percent have large fleets. For this 

demonstration program, a small vehicle 

fleet is 20 trucks or less, while a 

medium-sized fleet consists of 21 to 100 

trucks. A large fleet is anything in 

excess of 100 trucks. 

Pre-Authorization Safety Audit (PASA) 

A Mexico-domiciled carrier must 

satisfactorily complete the FMCSAadministered pre-authorization safety 

audit (PASA) required under FMCSA 

regulations before it is granted 

provisional authority to operate in the 

United States beyond the border 

commercial zones. This preauthorization audit is not required for 

U.S.-based motor carriers. The PASA is 

a review of the carrier’s safety 

management systems including written 

procedures and records to validate the 

accuracy of information and 

certifications provided in the 

application. The PASA will determine 

whether the carrier has established and 

exercises the basic safety management 

controls necessary to ensure safe 

operations. The carrier will not be 

granted provisional operating authority 

if FMCSA finds that its safety 

management controls are inadequate, 

using the standards in Appendix A to 

Subpart E of 49 CFR part 365. All 

PASAs performed under the 

demonstration project will be conducted 

at the motor carrier’s place of business 

in Mexico. Vehicles the motor carrier 

intends to use for operations within the 

U.S. will be inspected and will be 

required to have a valid CVSA decal 

affixed or to pass an in-depth North 

American Standard Truck Inspection. 

As required by FMCSA regulations, 

the carrier will be denied provisional 

operating authority if the FMCSA can 

not: 

1. Verify the existence of a controlled 

substances and alcohol testing program 

consistent with 49 CFR part 40. The 

Agency will ensure that the carrier has 

information on collection sites and 

laboratories it intends to use. 

2. Verify a system of compliance with 

hours-of-service rules in 49 CFR part 

395, including recordkeeping and 

retention; 

3. Verify proof of financial 

responsibility, as required by 49 CFR 

part 387; 

4. Verify records of periodic vehicle 

inspections, as required by 49 CFR part 

396; and 

5. Verify that each driver the carrier 

intends to assign to operate under the 

demonstration project meets the 

requirements of 49 CFR parts 383 and 

391. This will include confirmation of 

the validity of each driver’s Licencia 

Federal de Conductor through the 

Mexican driver license information 

system and a check of the Commercial 

Driver’s License Information System 

(CDLIS) for violations, suspensions, etc. 

Issuance of Operating Authority 

If a carrier successfully completes the 

PASA and the FMCSA approves its 

application, the Agency will publish a 

summary of the application as a 

preliminary grant of authority in the 

FMCSA Register, which is available at 

http://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/ 

pkg—html.prc—limain. However, the 

carrier will not be authorized to operate 

until it has made the insurance filings 

required by 49 CFR 365.507(e)(1) and 

designated a process agent as required 

by 49 CFR 365.503(a)(3). Additionally, 

no carrier will be authorized to operate 

until this notice-and-comment 

procedure is completed. 

Upon granting provisional operating 

authority, the Agency will assign a 

unique USDOT Number, including an 

‘‘X’’ suffix, which identifies the motor 

carrier as authorized to operate beyond 

the municipalities and commercial 

zones on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

The issuance of OP–1(MX) 

provisional operating authority will 

supersede any other operating authority 

the FMCSA may have issued the carrier, 

including authority to operate within 

the border commercial zone. The 

participating carrier’s entire U.S. 

operations will be subject to the terms 

and limitations in the OP–1(MX) 

document, including the prohibition on 

transporting hazardous materials and 

passengers. 

Termination of Provisional Operating 

Authority 

The demonstration project will 

terminate and all provisional operating 

authority certificates expire one year 

from the date FMCSA grants the first 

provisional certificate. 

Provisional operating authority may 

be suspended or revoked at any time 

during the demonstration project if 

FMCSA determines that the carrier’s 

safety performance does not meet the 

standards established in 49 CFR part 

385, subpart B. Operating authority may 

also be suspended or revoked if the 

motor carrier is found to have 

transported hazardous materials or 

passengers in the U.S., or otherwise to 

be operating beyond the scope of its 

provisional authority. 

If a Mexico-domiciled motor carrier 

held FMCSA operating authority to 

operate exclusively within the border 

commercial zones (OP–2 authority) 

before being granted provisional OP– 

1(MX) operating authority, the 

certificate of registration to operate 

exclusively within the border 

commercial zones will be reinstated at 

no cost to the motor carrier upon 

expiration of the demonstration project, 

providing the carrier’s safety record 

during the project has been satisfactory. 

Operating in the U.S. Under OP–1(MX) 

Provisional Operating Authority 

Mexico-domiciled motor carriers are 

subject to DHS and DOT cabotage 

requirements and prohibited from 

providing domestic point-to-point 

transportation while operating in the 

U.S. Carriers found to have violated the 

cabotage requirements will be placed 

out-of-service under the DOT 

regulations. DHS could also prohibit the 

driver from entering the U.S. in the 

future. FMCSA, in coordination with 

the International Association of Chiefs 

of Police (IACP), has developed and 

provided training to State and local law 

enforcement agencies on the cabotage 

requirements. 


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23886 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 83 / Tuesday, May 1, 2007 / Notices 

Monitoring, Oversight and Enforcement 

FMCSA will monitor the operational 

safety of all Mexico-domiciled motor 

carriers participating in the 

demonstration project. To accomplish 

this, FMCSA will work closely with 

State commercial vehicle safety 

agencies, the IACP, CVSA, DHS, and 

others. 

Field monitoring will include 

inspections of vehicles, verification of 

compliance with the terms of the 

provisional operating authority, driver 

license checks, crash reporting, and 

initiation of enforcement actions when 

appropriate. Additionally, a Mexicodomiciled motor carrier committing any 

violations specified in 49 CFR 

385.105(a) and identified through 

roadside inspections or by other means, 

may be subject to a compliance review 

and enforcement action. 

Monitoring will also include 

electronic data collection and analysis. 

Data collected as a result of field 

monitoring and other activities will be 

entered into FMCSA databases. The data 

will be tracked and analyzed to identify 

potential safety issues. Appropriate 

action will be taken to resolve any 

identified safety issues. This could 

include suspension or revocation of the 

provisional operating authority or the 

initiation of other enforcement action 

against the carrier or driver. 

The DOT and the Mexican Secretarı ́a 

de Comunicaciones y Transportes 

(Secretariat of Communication and 

Transport, or SCT) have established a 

bi-national monitoring group. The group 

includes officials from FMCSA, DOT, 

and the U.S. Trade Representative. 

Mexican participants include 

representatives from the Federal Motor 

Carrier General Directorate, 

Communications and Transport 

Secretariat (SCT); the Services 

Negotiations General Directorate, 

Economy Secretariat; and the SCT 

Centers from the Mexican Border States. 

The monitoring group’s objective is to 

supervise the implementation of the 

demonstration project and to find 

solutions to issues affecting the 

operational performance of the project. 

The group will generally convene 

weekly via video conference. 

Enforcement is a key component of 

the monitoring and oversight effort. 

FMCSA has trained and provided 

guidance to Federal and State auditors, 

inspectors and investigators to ensure 

their knowledge and understanding of 

the demonstration project and the 

procedures for taking enforcement 

actions against carriers or drivers 

participating in the project. 

To ensure carrier compliance with 

operating authority limitations, 

including the prohibition of domestic 

point-to-point transportation of cargo in 

the U.S., FMCSA and the IACP have 

developed and implemented a training 

program that provides State and local 

officials detailed information on 

cabotage regulations and enforcement 

procedures. 

FMCSA is also working with the DHS 

to develop guidance concerning the 

enforcement of DHS cabotage 

regulations. This material will be 

incorporated into the CVSA North 

American Standard Inspection Course 

and provided to roadside enforcement 

officers. 

FMCSA will be issuing policy 

memoranda and guidance to the Federal 

field staff, State agencies and others 

concerning monitoring and enforcement 

issues, including English language 

proficiency, inspection of each 

participating Mexico-domiciled vehicle 

every time it enters the U.S., 

enforcement of the Federal Motor 

Vehicle Safety Standards, and 

enforcement of the CVSA decal 

requirement. 

To ensure uniformity and effective 

enforcement, the CVSA has revised the 

North American Standard Out-ofService Criteria to include as out-of 

service criteria, violations of 49 CFR 

391.11(b)(2) relating to the driver’s 

ability to communicate in English while 

operating in the U.S. and violations of 

49 CFR 385.103(c) relating to the 

display of a valid CVSA decal on 

vehicles operated by project 

participants. 

Evaluation and Reporting 

The DOT will evaluate the success of 

the demonstration project by examining 

the safety performance of Mexicodomiciled motor carriers operating in 

the U.S. Specifically, FMCSA 

anticipates examining the crash rate of 

Mexican carriers, convictions of 

Mexican drivers for violations of U.S. 

traffic safety laws, the rate at which 

Mexican drivers and vehicles are placed 

out of service when inspected in the 

U.S., violations discovered during preauthority safety audits, and compliance 

of Mexican trucking companies with 

U.S. drug and alcohol testing 

regulations. These data will be collected 

through police reporting of crashes and 

moving violations, uploads of roadside 

inspection results performed by FMCSA 

or our State partners, and uploads of 

safety audits and compliance reviews of 

Mexican motor carriers performed by 

FMCSA staff. 

The DOT also intends to provide for 

an independent evaluation of the 

demonstration project. The Secretary 

has asked former DOT Inspector General 

Kenneth Mead, former DOT Deputy 

Secretary Mortimer Downey and former 

House Appropriations Sub-Committee 

Chairman Jim Kolbe to serve on an 

evaluation panel. The panel will be 

responsible for evaluating the safety 

impacts of allowing Mexico-domiciled 

motor carriers to operate on U.S. roads 

beyond the border commercial zone. 

They will operate independently from 

other monitoring efforts and provide 

their own assessment of the project. 

Their conclusions will be considered 

carefully before a decision is made on 

a permanent full implementation of the 

NAFTA trucking provisions. 

Request for Comments 

The FMCSA has decided to request 

public comment from all interested 

persons on the demonstration project 

outlined above. The FMCSA has 

fulfilled all of the statutory 

requirements necessary for the lifting of 

the moratorium against certain Mexicodomiciled motor carriers. The Agency 

intends the demonstration project to be 

the means of validating its safety 

oversight regime. 

All comments received before the 

close of business on the comment 

closing date indicated at the beginning 

of this notice will be considered and 

will be available for examination in the 

docket at the location listed under the 

address section of this notice. 

Comments received after the comment 

closing date will be filed in the public 

docket and will be considered to the 

extent practicable. In addition to late 

comments, the FMCSA will also 

continue to file, in the public docket, 

relevant information that becomes 

available after the comment closing 

date. Interested persons should continue 

to examine the public docket for new 

material. 

Issued on: April 27, 2007. 

John H. Hill, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 07–2152 Filed 4–30–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[Docket No: FTA–2006–23697] 

Public-Private Partnership Pilot 

Program 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of agency response to 

comments. 


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