65764 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices 

balloons) within the United States and 

for flights across international borders. 

Paragraphs 91.153 and 91.169, address 

flight plan information requirements. 

Paragraph 91.173 states requirements for 

when an instrument flight rules (IFR) 

flight plan must be filed. International 

Standards Rules of the Air, Annex 2 to 

the Convention on International Civil 

Aviation paragraph 3.3 states 

requirements for filing international 

flight plans. In addition, a Washington, 

District of Columbia (DC) Special Flight 

Rules Area (SFRA) was implemented 

requiring pilots operating within a 

certain radius of Washington, DC to 

follow special security flight rules. The 

SFRA also includes three (3) general 

aviation airports in Maryland (College 

Park, Clinton/Washington Executive/ 

Hyde Field, and Friendly/Potomac 

Airfield) where pilots are required to 

file a flight plan regardless of whether 

they are flying under visual flight rules 

(VFR) or IFR. This collection of 

information supports the Department of 

Homeland Security and the Department 

of Defense in addition to the normal 

flight plan purposes. 

Almost 100 percent of flight plans are 

filed electronically. However, as a 

courtesy to the aviation public, flight 

plans may be submitted in paper form. 

Flight plans may be filed in the 

following ways: 

• Air carrier and air taxi operations, 

and certain corporate aviation 

departments, have been granted 

authority to electronically file flight 

plans directly with the FAA. The 

majority of air carrier and air taxi flights 

are processed in this manner. 

• Air carrier and air taxi operators 

may submit pre-stored flight plan 

information on scheduled flights to Air 

Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC) 

to be entered electronically at the 

appropriate times. 

• Pilots may call 1–800–WX–BRIEF 

(992–7433) and file flight plans with a 

flight service station specialist who 

enters the information directly into a 

computer system that automatically 

transmits the information to the 

appropriate air traffic facility. Pilots 

calling certain flight service stations 

have the option of using a voice 

recorder to store the information that 

will later be entered by a specialist. 

• Private and corporate pilots who fly 

the same aircraft and routes at regular 

times may prestore flight plans with 

flight service stations. The flight plans 

will then be entered automatically into 

the air traffic system at the appropriate 

time. 

• Pilots who visit a flight service 

station in person may choose to a file 

flight plan by using a paper form. The 

data will then be entered into a 

computer and filed electronically. The 

pilot will often keep the paper copy for 

his/her record. 

Respondents: Air carrier and air taxi 

operations, and certain corporate 

aviation departments, General Aviation 

Pilots. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: 2.5 minutes per flight plan. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

287,447. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on September 

19, 2023. 

Aldwin E. Humphrey, 

Air Traffic Control Specialist, Office of Flight 

Service Safety and Operations, AJR–B. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20696 Filed 9–22–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2023–0159] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Revision of an Approved 

Information Collection: Inspection, 

Repair and Maintenance 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), Department 

of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: 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. The information collection 

concerns records of inspection, repair, 

and maintenance of commercial motor 

vehicles (CMVs). FMCSA requests 

approval to revise an ICR titled, 

‘‘Inspection, Repair and Maintenance.’’ 

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before November 24, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by Docket Number FMCSA– 

2023–0159 using any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• Mail: Dockets Operations; U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, 

Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590– 

0001. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: Dockets 

Operations, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, West Building, Ground 

Floor, Washington, DC 20590–0001 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

To be sure someone is there to help you, 

please call (202) 366–9317 or (202) 366– 

9826 before visiting Dockets Operations. 

• Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

To avoid duplication, please use only 

one of these four methods. See the 

‘‘Public Participation and Request for 

Comments’’ portion of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 

instructions on submitting comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Jose R. Cestero, Vehicle and Roadside 

Operations Division, DOT, FMCSA, 

West Building, 6th Floor, 1200 New 

Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 

20590; 202–366–5541; jose.cestero@

dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Instructions 

All submissions must include the 

Agency name and docket number. For 

detailed instructions on submitting 

comments, see the Public Participation 

heading below. Note that all comments 

received will be posted without change 

to https://www.regulations.gov, 

including any personal information 

provided. Please see the Privacy Act 

heading below. 

Public Participation and Request for 

Comments 

If you submit a comment, please 

include the docket number for this 

notice (FMCSA–2023–0159), indicate 

the specific section of this document to 

which your comment applies, and 

provide a reason for each suggestion or 

recommendation. You may submit your 

comments and material online or by fax, 

mail, or hand delivery, but please use 

only one of these means. FMCSA 

recommends that you include your 

name and a mailing address, an email 

address, or a phone number in the body 

of your document so FMCSA can 

contact you if there are questions 

regarding your submission. If you want 

us to notify you that we received your 

comments, please include a selfaddressed, stamped envelope or 

postcard, or print the acknowledgement 

page that appears after submitting 

comments online. 

To submit your comment online, go to 

https://www.regulations.gov/docket/ 

FMCSA-2023-0159/document, click on 

this notice, click ‘‘Comment,’’ and type 

your comment into the text box on the 

following screen. 

If you submit your comments by mail 

or hand delivery, submit them in an 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices 65765 

unbound format, no larger than 81⁄2 by 

11 inches, suitable for copying and 

electronic filing. 

Comments received after the comment 

closing date will be included in the 

docket and will be considered to the 

extent practicable. 

Privacy Act 

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), 

DOT solicits comments from the public 

to better inform its rulemaking process. 

DOT posts these comments, without 

edit, including any personal information 

the commenter provides, to 

www.regulations.gov, as described in 

the system of records notice (DOT/ALL– 

14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 

www.dot.gov/privacy. 

Background 

The Secretary of Transportation 

(Secretary) is authorized under the 

provisions of 49 U.S.C. 31502 to 

prescribe requirements for, among other 

things, safety of operations of 

equipment of motor carriers that operate 

CMVs in interstate commerce. Under 49 

U.S.C. 31136, the Secretary also has 

authority to prescribe regulations to 

ensure that CMVs are maintained, 

equipped, loaded, and operated safely. 

Under 49 U.S.C. 31142 the Secretary 

must establish standards for annual or 

more frequent inspections of CMVs. The 

Secretary’s authority to establish 

improved standards or methods to 

ensure brakes and brake systems of 

CMVs are inspected by appropriate 

employees and maintained properly is 

provided under 49 U.S.C. 31137(g). 

Motor carriers must maintain, or 

require maintenance of, records 

documenting the inspection, repair and 

maintenance activities performed on 

their owned and leased vehicles. There 

are no prescribed forms. Electronic 

recordkeeping is allowed (see 49 CFR 

390.31(d)). Documents requiring a 

signature must be capable of replication 

(e.g., photocopy, facsimile, etc.) in such 

form that will provide an opportunity 

for signature verification upon demand. 

Also, if electronic recordkeeping is 

used, all of the relevant data on the 

original documents must be included in 

the electronic transmission for the 

records to be valid. 

The motor carrier industry has never 

questioned the need to keep CMV 

maintenance records. In fact, most 

motor carriers would keep some records 

without any regulatory requirements to 

do so. Records of inspection, repair, and 

maintenance; roadside inspection 

reports; driver vehicle inspection 

reports; the documentation of periodic 

inspections; the evidence of the 

qualifications of individuals performing 

periodic inspections; and the evidence 

of brake inspectors’ qualifications 

contain the minimum amount of 

information necessary to document that 

a motor carrier has established a system 

of inspection, repair, and maintenance 

for its equipment which meets the 

standards in 49 CFR part 396. 

FMCSA and its representatives use 

these records to verify motor carriers’ 

compliance with the inspection, repair, 

and maintenance standards in part 396. 

This ICR supports DOT’s strategic goal 

of safety. The ICR also ensures that 

motor carriers have adequate records to 

document the inspection, repair, and 

maintenance of their CMVs, and to 

ensure that adequate measures are taken 

to keep their CMVs in safe and proper 

operating condition at all times. 

Compliance with the inspection, repair, 

and maintenance regulations helps to 

reduce the likelihood of accidents 

attributable, in whole or in part, to the 

mechanical condition of the CMV. 

This ICR submittal includes updated 

data regarding the number of motor 

carriers subject to the Federal Motor 

Carrier Safety Regulations, vehicle 

counts, inspections, and other 

underlying data used to estimate the 

total burden hours. In addition, this 

revision eliminates the requirement that 

drivers of passenger-carrying CMVs 

operating in interstate commerce 

submit, and motor carriers retain, 

Driver-Vehicle Inspection Reports 

(DVIRs) when the driver has neither 

found nor been made aware of any 

vehicle defects or deficiencies (nodefect DVIRs). 

If the recordkeeping were required to 

be completed less frequently, it would 

greatly hinder the ability of FMCSA and 

State officials and representatives to 

ascertain that CMVs are satisfactorily 

maintained. The timely documentation 

of CMV inspection, repair, and 

maintenance enables FMCSA and State 

officials to evaluate the present state of 

a motor carrier’s CMV maintenance 

program and to check the current level 

of regulatory compliance at any point in 

a carrier’s maintenance schedule or 

program. 

FMCSA has identified periodic 

inspection standards of 22 States, the 

District of Columbia, the Alabama 

Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board, 10 

Canadian Provinces, and one Canadian 

Territory that are comparable to, or as 

effective as, the Federal periodic 

inspection requirements. FMCSA does 

not require Federal periodic inspections 

and the related recordkeeping for motor 

carriers that comply with these 

equivalent periodic inspection 

programs. FMCSA is not aware of any 

other duplicative standards or 

recordkeeping requirements that apply 

to motor carriers. 

FMCSA does not employ this 

collection of information for statistical 

use. 

Title: Inspection, Repair and 

Maintenance. 

OMB Control Number: 2126–0003. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

Respondents: Motor carriers and CMV 

drivers. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

757,652 motor carriers and 5,646,722 

drivers. 

Estimated Time per Response: Varies 

according to the requirements for 

specific records. 

Expiration Date: December 31, 2023. 

Frequency of Response: Varies 

according to requirements for specific 

records. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

19,103,153 hours [14,602,802 hours for 

inspection, repair, and maintenance + 

3,516,342 hours for driver inspection 

reports + 161,528 hours for disposition 

of roadside inspection reports + 777,864 

hours for periodic inspections + 23,571 

hours for records of inspector 

qualifications + 21,046 hours for records 

of brake inspector qualifications]. 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including: (1) 

whether the proposed collection is 

necessary for the performance of 

FMCSA’s functions; (2) the accuracy of 

the estimated burden; (3) ways for 

FMCSA to enhance the quality, 

usefulness, and clarity of the collected 

information; and (4) ways that the 

burden could be minimized without 

reducing the quality of the collected 

information. The Agency will 

summarize or include your comments in 

the request for OMB’s clearance of this 

ICR. 

Issued under the authority of 49 CFR 1.87. 

Thomas P. Keane, 

Associate Administrator, Office of Research 

and Registration. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20641 Filed 9–22–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2023–0002–N–15] 

Proposed Agency Information 

Collection Activities; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 


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