Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 37 / Thursday, February 26, 2009 / Notices 8839 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. 

Department of Transportation, West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David Jones, 202–366–5053, Federal 

Highway Administration, Department of 

Transportation, Office of Highway 

Policy Information, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Truck Congestion Information 

Assessment. 

Background: The Federal Highway 

Administration’s (FHWA) ability to 

assess congestion is critical for our 

national leadership role. Highway traffic 

congestion causes an estimated 3.5 

billion hours of delays per year in 75 of 

the largest metropolitan areas. 

The volume of freight, the mix of 

goods, and the way they are moved has 

changed dramatically and highway 

system improvements have not kept 

pace with the growth and demand for 

freight transportation, resulting in 

congestion on our Nation’s highways 

and straining other freight modes as 

well. 

The purpose of this research is to 

collect highway congestion information 

to assess highway system performance 

and validate findings of the report on 

bottlenecks produced from Speed, 

Highway Performance Monitoring 

System (HPMS) and Freight Analysis 

Framework (FAF) data. 

The selected service provider will 

establish, promote, collect and analyze 

data from a developed system to provide 

easy access 24 hours a day, 7 days a 

week allowing the roadway user a 

convenient way to report areas of heavy 

congestion and bottleneck conditions at 

any point in time encountered 

nationally on the highway system. 

Roadside users can report information 

by using an automated phone system or 

the internet. The information from the 

user will be date, time, state, and 

highway route number, direction of 

travel, mile marker and weather 

condition. The reporting from the 

roadside user is voluntary. 

Respondents: Approximately 1200 

Interstate roadway users daily, with the 

majority being truck drivers. 

Frequency: Every day for 3 years. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: Each response will be 

approximately 1 minute. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: Approximately 4,380 hours in 

the first year, 7,665 the second year, and 

9,855 the third year. Totaling 21,900 

hours. 

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 FHWA’s performance; 

(2) the accuracy of the estimated 

burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to 

enhance the quality, usefulness, and 

clarity of the collected information; and 

(4) ways that the burden could be 

minimized, including the use of 

electronic technology, without reducing 

the quality of the collected information. 

The agency will summarize and/or 

include your comments in the request 

for OMB’s clearance of this information 

collection. 

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 

and 49 CFR 1.48. 

Issued on: February 20, 2009. 

James R. Kabel, 

Chief, Management Programs and Analysis 

Division. 

[FR Doc. E9–4097 Filed 2–25–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[U.S. DOT Docket No. FHWA–2008–0183] 

FHWA Laboratory and Field Research; 

Agency Information Collection Activity 

Under OMB Review 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA invites the public 

to comment on our intention to request 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) to approve a new information 

collection. This collection is 

summarized below under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are 

required to publish this notice in the 

Federal Register by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Please submit comments by 

April 27, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by Docket ID Number FHWA– 

2008–0183 by any of the following 

methods: 

Web Site: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received, go to the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: Go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 

West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. 

Department of Transportation, West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas Granda, PhD, Team Leader, 

Human Centered Systems, Office of 

Safety Research and Development, 

HRDS–07, Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center, Federal Highway 

Administration, 6300 Georgetown Pike, 

McLean, VA 22101, tel. 202–493–3365 

between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays, 

or Paul J. Tremont, PhD, (same address) 

at 202–493–3338. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: FHWA Laboratory and Field 

Research. 

Background: The FHWA invites 

public comments on our intention to 

request the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) to approve a total of 30 

laboratory/field research studies that 

will include collections of information 

from the general public. These studies 

will be conducted over a period not to 

exceed three years with a total burden 

of approximately 5250 hours and an 

annual burden of approximately 1750 

hours. 

These collections are integral to the 

performance of various analytical, field, 

and laboratory human factors research 

projects that FHWA plans to conduct in 

support of its mission of improving 

safety and increasing mobility on our 

Nation’s highways through National 

Leadership, Innovation, and Program 

Delivery. 

The laboratory and field research 

FHWA conducts often involves 

observations of driver behavior. In the 

field, these studies are usually 

completely non-intrusive. However, 

some field and laboratory research 

studies require that interview data be 

collected from individual persons. For 

example, if drivers are participating in 

a research study on a novel intersection, 

interview data might be acquired from 

a subset of drivers to determine what 

they observed while driving or how they 

made their decisions. In these cases the 

interview will be brief (10–15 minutes). 

Similar interview data may be acquired 

when studies are conducted in a 

laboratory setting. 

This planned approval request does 

NOT include work subsumed under 

8840 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 37 / Thursday, February 26, 2009 / Notices 

Subtitle C of Public Law 109–59, 

Intelligent Systems Transportation 

Research (ITS). ITS work is exempted 

from requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, by a Special 

Rule under Section 5305 of Public Law 

109–59, that states the following: ‘‘Any 

survey, questionnaire, or interview that 

the Secretary considers necessary to 

carry out the reporting of any test, 

deployment, project, or program 

assessment activity under this subtitle 

shall not be subject to Chapter 35 of 

Title 44, United States Code.’’ 

Research Areas and Associated 

Collections 

The FHWA Office of Safety Research 

and Development intends to conduct 

analytical, laboratory and field research 

projects focused on highway safety that 

will require acquisition of data from 

small samples of the general public. 

This research is directed at human 

factors issues within the following 

broad program areas: (A) Infrastructure 

design including innovative intersection 

configurations and signage and roadway 

markings; (B) highway operations; (C) 

driver-vehicle and infrastructure-vehicle 

interfaces; (D) older and younger driver 

programs; and (E) pedestrian and 

bicyclist issues. Given that the focus of 

the research in the above areas is on 

human factors issues, it is necessary that 

data also be collected on a few key 

demographic variables such as age, 

gender, and driving experience. None of 

the data collected in any of the planned 

research will be linked to personal 

identifying information. 

Situations That Require Collections of 

Information—Examples From Each 

Category 

Category A (Infrastructure Design). An 

example from Category A would be a 

study designed to test an innovative 

intersection design such as a Diverging 

Diamond Interchange (DDI). This is a 

highly efficient intersection design, but 

if not properly implemented, it could 

potentially cause confusion. In a DDI, 

drivers cross over to the left side of the 

highway, with the result that opposing 

traffic is placed on their right side. 

When testing a DDI, FHWA will need to 

know whether drivers perceived any 

ambiguity in the signage, if they had any 

orientation problems seeing opposing 

traffic on their right, and if they have 

any suggestions for improving the 

overall ease with which such an 

intersection could be driven. Other 

innovative intersection designs would 

also benefit from similar information 

acquired from drivers. Roadway 

departure is another problem area that 

could benefit from individual driver 

data. For example, it would be helpful 

to know how drivers perceive their 

interaction with the roadway geometry 

and signage, and then apply that 

information to design decisions that can 

lead to reductions in roadway 

departures. 

Category B (Highway Operations). 

One of the many challenges confronting 

highway engineers is designing a signal 

system that maximizes throughput and 

minimizes delay. Excess delays could 

result in more drivers running red 

lights. This problem can be examined by 

observing drivers’ behavior under 

differing signaling conditions. However, 

direct verbal reports of drivers are often 

needed to determine why drivers are 

making their decisions. For example 

FHWA may learn from questioning 

drivers that they would be less likely to 

speed up when approaching a signal if 

they knew the signal system would 

recognize this behavior and respond 

accordingly. One way this might happen 

is by advising the motorist earlier of the 

impending signal change. Driver 

interviews performed under this study 

area can provide information on many 

key issues including behavioral 

adaptation, decisionmaking, and 

reaction times to signal phases and 

changes. This kind of information could 

lead to improvements to signal 

controllers that increase mobility and 

improve safety. Speed management is 

another area of highway operations that 

could benefit from interview data. For 

example, lower speed limits in 

construction zones are difficult to 

enforce, and interview data with drivers 

can provide information on better 

methods of restraining driver speeds in 

these hazardous situations. 

Category C (Older and Younger 

Drivers). The opinions of these two high 

risk groups are needed for almost all 

FHWA safety related studies. For 

example, data on the ease of use 

expressed by older drivers with respect 

to an innovative design informs the 

engineer which aspects of the new 

design that present potential safety 

problems and may be in need of 

modification. In contrast, young drivers 

present a separate set of challenges for 

highway engineers. Their ability to 

negotiate a new design may be less of 

a concern, however; it is necessary to 

understand how these drivers regard the 

conflict points presented by new 

designs. This is of particular importance 

as some younger drivers may be willing 

to take extra risks in situations where 

ambiguity exists. Gathering verbal 

feedback from younger drivers will help 

engineers determine areas of potential 

ambiguity in design and modify these 

areas as necessary to ensure they are not 

introducing safety hazards. 

Category D (Pedestrians and 

Bicyclists). Research related to 

pedestrians and bicyclists arises from 

the need to determine the most effective 

ways to accommodate these 

infrastructure users. While overt 

pedestrian and bicyclist behavior can be 

directly observed fairly easily, it is 

sometimes necessary to collect user 

opinions and reactions. For example, 

when a new intersection design is being 

introduced (e.g., a triple lane 

roundabout), it is especially 

advantageous to acquire data that 

provides insights into the needs and 

challenges that pedestrians and 

bicyclists face as they negotiate such an 

intersection. The needs of disabled 

pedestrians are also considered when 

researching new intersection treatments, 

and in these efforts FHWA works 

closely with the U.S. Access Board to 

ensure that novel intersection 

treatments accommodate their needs. 

Another example of research in this area 

is determining bicyclists’ reactions to 

such treatments as separately marked 

bicycle lanes, signage, and overall 

roadway configuration. 

Description of How Field and 

Laboratory Study Participants Will Be 

Acquired 

Samples for research studies will be 

acquired by advertisement in local 

papers, by the distribution of flyers, or 

by postings to the Internet. Typically, 

interested parties contact FHWA and 

they are asked a few questions to 

determine whether they qualify for the 

study. These questions involve such 

issues as age, driver familiarity with the 

location or scenario being used, number 

of miles driven per year, and gender. 

Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting 

and Recordkeeping Burden Resulting 

From These Information Collections 

and Requests for Comments 

Respondents: Approximately 6,000 

roadway users drawn from the general 

driving population. 

Frequency: This approval request is 

for 30 studies over a three-year period. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Respondent: FHWA estimates data 

acquisition from persons participating 

in a laboratory or field research study 

will average about 1 hour. For those 

field studies only using direct 

observation of driver behaviors and 

interviews of randomly selected drivers, 

the maximum burden (for the interview) 

will be 15 minutes per participant. 

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 

Assuming 15 studies will be laboratory 

based, 10 will be field based, and 5 will 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 37 / Thursday, February 26, 2009 / Notices 8841 

use direct observation with 15-minute 

interviews (.25 hour), the burden is 

calculated as follows: 

Laboratory studies: 15 studies × 200 

participants × 1 hour = 3,000 hours 

Field studies: 10 studies × 200 

participants × 1 hour = 2,000 hours 

Field studies (interview only): 5 studies 

× 200 participants × .25 hour = 250 

hours 

3-year total = 5,250 hours 

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 

5,250/3 = 1,750 hours 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of 

these information collections, including: 

(1) Whether the proposed collections are 

necessary for FHWA’s performance; (2) 

the accuracy of the estimated burden; 

(3) ways for FHWA to enhance the 

quality, usefulness, and clarity of the 

collected information; and (4) ways that 

the burden could be minimized, 

including the use of electronic 

technology, without reducing the 

quality of the collected information. 

FHWA will respond to your comments 

and summarize or include them when 

requesting clearance from OMB for 

these information data collections. 

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 

and 49 CFR 1.48. 

Issued on February 20, 2009. 

Judith Kane, 

Acting Chief, Management Programs & 

Analysis Division. 

[FR Doc. E9–4098 Filed 2–25–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2006–25756] 

Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) 

Standards: Granting of Exemption; 

Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of final disposition; 

granting of application for exemption. 

SUMMARY: FMCSA announces its 

decision to grant Volvo Trucks North 

America, Inc.’s (Volvo) application for 

an exemption for one of its drivers to 

enable him to test-drive commercial 

motor vehicles (CMVs) in the United 

States without a commercial driver’s 

license (CDL) issued by one of the 

States. Volvo stated the exemption is 

needed to support a field test to meet 

future air quality standards and to testdrive Volvo prototype vehicles to verify 

results in ‘‘real world’’ environments. Its 

driver holds a valid CDL issued in 

Sweden but lacks the U.S. residency 

necessary to obtain a CDL issued by one 

of the States. FMCSA believes the 

knowledge and skills testing and 

training program that drivers must 

undergo to obtain a Swedish CDL 

ensures that their drivers will achieve a 

level of safety that is equivalent to, or 

greater than, the level of safety achieved 

without the exemption. 

DATES: This exemption is effective 

February 26, 2009 and expires February 

26, 2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Richard Clemente, Driver and Carrier 

Operations Division, Office of Bus and 

Truck Standards and Operations, MC– 

PSD, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

Telephone: 202–366–4325. E-mail: 

MCPSD@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under 49 U.S.C. 31315 and 31136(e), 

FMCSA may grant an exemption from 

the CDL requirements in 49 CFR 383.23 

for a 2-year period if it finds ‘‘* * * 

such exemption would likely achieve a 

level of safety that is equivalent to, or 

greater than, the level that would be 

achieved absent such exemption * * *’’ 

(49 CFR 381.305 (a)). FMCSA has 

evaluated Volvo’s application on its 

merits and decided to grant the 

exemption for its field test engineer, 

Michael Tellstrom, for a 2-year period. 

Volvo Application for an Exemption 

Volvo applied for an exemption from 

the 49 CFR 383.23 requirement that the 

operator of a CMV obtain a CDL issued 

by one of the States. This section of the 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Regulations (FMCSRs) sets forth the 

standards that States must employ in 

issuing CDLs. An individual must be a 

resident of a State in order to qualify for 

a CDL. The Volvo driver-employee for 

whom this exemption is sought is a 

citizen and resident of Sweden; 

therefore, he cannot apply for a CDL in 

any State of the United States. A copy 

of the request for exemption from 

section 383.23 is in the docket 

identified at the beginning of this 

notice. 

Swedish Driver 

This exemption enables Michael 

Tellstrom to test-drive in the U.S. Volvo 

CMVs that are assembled, sold or 

primarily used in the U.S. Volvo 

currently employs this driver in 

Sweden, and wants him to be able to 

test-drive Volvo prototype vehicles at its 

test site and in the vicinity of Phoenix, 

Arizona, to verify vehicle results in 

‘‘real world’’ environments. He is a 

highly trained, experienced CMV 

operator with a valid Swedish-issued 

CDL. Because he was required to satisfy 

strict CDL testing standards in Sweden 

to obtain a CDL and has extensive 

training and experience operating 

CMVs, Volvo believes that the 

exemption will maintain a level of 

safety equivalent to the level of safety 

that would be obtained absent the 

exemption. 

Method To Ensure an Equivalent or 

Greater Level of Safety 

According to Volvo, drivers applying 

for a Swedish-issued CDL must undergo 

a training program and pass knowledge 

and skills tests. Volvo believes the 

knowledge and skills tests and training 

program that these drivers undergo to 

obtain a Swedish CDL ensure the 

exemption would provide a level of 

safety that is equivalent to, or greater 

than, the level of safety obtained by 

complying with the U.S. requirement for 

a CDL. In addition, Volvo has submitted 

a copy of the violation-free Swedish 

driving record of this driver. 

FMCSA had previously determined 

that the process for obtaining a 

Swedish-issued CDL adequately 

assesses the driver’s ability to operate 

CMVs in the U.S. Therefore, the process 

for obtaining a Swedish-issued CDL is 

considered to be comparable to, or as 

effective as, the requirements of 49 CFR 

part 383. 

Comments 

The Agency received no response to 

its request for public comments 

published in the Federal Register on 

January 16, 2009 (74 FR 3130). 

Terms and Conditions for the 

Exemption 

Based upon evaluation of the 

application for an exemption, FMCSA 

grants Volvo an exemption from the 

CDL requirement in 49 CFR 383.23 for 

its driver, Michael Tellstrom, to testdrive CMVs within the United States, 

subject to the following terms and 

conditions: (1) That this driver will be 

subject to drug and alcohol regulations, 

including testing, as provided in 49 CFR 

part 382, (2) that this driver is subject 

to the same driver disqualification rules 

under 49 CFR parts 383 and 391 that 

apply to other CMV drivers in the U.S., 

(3) that this driver keep a copy of the 

exemption on the vehicle at all times, 

(4) that Volvo notify FMCSA in writing 

of any accident, as defined in 49 CFR 

390.5, involving this driver, and (5) that