Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 52 / Thursday, March 19, 2009 / Notices 11807 

Number of Respondents: 24,000. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Burden per Response: 15 

minutes. 

Estimated Annual Burden: 6,000 

hours. 

Note: This is a correction notice. SSA 

published this information collection as an 

extension on January 15, 2009 at 74 FR 2642. 

Since we are revising the Privacy Act 

Statement, this is now a revision of an OMBapproved information collection. 

Dated: March 13, 2009. 

John Biles, 

Reports Clearance Officer, Center for Reports 

Clearance, Social Security Administration. 

[FR Doc. E9–5994 Filed 3–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4191–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2008–0224] 

Parts and Accessories Necessary for 

Safe Operation; Grant of Exemption for 

Greyhound Lines, Inc. 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of final disposition. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration (FMCSA) 

announces its decision to grant an 

exemption to Greyhound Lines, Inc. 

(Greyhound) that will enable video 

event recorders to be mounted on its 

buses lower in the windshield than is 

currently permitted by the Agency’s 

regulations. Greyhound requested the 

exemption so that it would be able to 

use the video event recorders to increase 

safety through (1) identification and 

remediation of risky driving behaviors 

such as distracted driving and 

drowsiness; (2) enhanced monitoring of 

passenger behavior; and (3) enhanced 

collision review and analysis. FMCSA 

believes that permitting these devices to 

be mounted lower than currently 

allowed, but still outside the driver’s 

sight lines to the road and highway 

signs and signals, will maintain a level 

of safety that is equivalent to, or greater 

than, the level of safety achieved 

without the exemption. 

DATES: This exemption is effective from 

March 19, 2009 through March 21, 2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Luke W. Loy, Vehicle and Roadside 

Operations Division, Office of Bus and 

Truck Standards and Operations, MC– 

PSV, (202) 366–0676, Federal Motor 

Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, 

DC 20590–0001. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

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

FMCSA may grant an exemption from 

the prohibition on obstructions to the 

driver’s field of view requirements in 49 

CFR 393.60(e) for a two-year period if it 

finds ‘‘such exemption would likely 

achieve a level of safety that is 

equivalent to, or greater than, the level 

of safety that would be achieved absent 

such exemption’’ (49 CFR 381.305(a)). 

Greyhound’s Request for Exemption 

Greyhound applied for an exemption 

from 49 CFR 393.60(e)(1) to allow it to 

install video event recorders on some or 

all its bus fleet, which totals 

approximately 1,650 buses. 

Section 393.60(e)(1) of the Federal 

Motor Carrier Safety Regulations 

(FMCSRs) prohibits the obstruction of 

the driver’s field of view by devices 

mounted at the top of the windshield. 

Antennas, transponders and similar 

devices (devices) must not be mounted 

more than 152 mm (6 inches) below the 

upper edge of the windshield. These 

devices must be located outside the area 

swept by the windshield wipers and 

outside the driver’s sight lines to the 

road and highway signs and signals. 

Greyhound states that over the last 

several years, the structural and 

aesthetic design of buses has changed 

considerably to include larger 

windshields that encompass a larger 

percentage of the front area of a motor 

coach and that extend well beyond the 

driver’s useable sight line. As a result, 

manufacturers have voluntarily 

installed larger windshield wipers on 

these windshields that increase the 

swept area beyond the minimum 

required by Federal Motor Vehicle 

Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 104, 

‘‘Windshield wiping and washing 

systems.’’ FMVSS No. 104 establishes 

the requirements applicable to vehicle 

and equipment manufacturers for 

windshield wiper system coverage for 

passenger cars, multi-purpose passenger 

vehicles, trucks and buses. 

Greyhound states that video event 

recorders, for optimal effectiveness, are 

mounted on the vehicle windshield on 

the interior of the vehicle in a position 

that enables the video-capture of what is 

happening in front of the vehicle as well 

as an internal video-capture of the 

driver and passengers. The view of what 

is happening in front of the vehicle 

requires that the forward lens of the 

recorder be in the swept area of the 

windshield for a clear view in inclement 

weather. Greyhound states: 

‘‘Section 393.60(e)(1) was designed to 

avoid placement of devices on the 

windshield that would obstruct a driver’s 

useful view of the roadway. However, 

because of the increase of the size of 

motorcoach windows and the corresponding 

increase in the area swept by the windshield 

wipers, video event recorders now must be 

mounted so high on the window as to limit 

the view of drivers, passengers, and collision 

events. Thus, the level of safety that can be 

produced by use of video event recorders is 

limited by the current regulation. By 

comparison, the proposed alternative will 

enable Greyhound to lower the placement of 

the video event recorders to a level, which 

will maximize the external and internal 

views of the recorders while still having 

them mounted high enough so as not to limit 

the field of vision of the driver.’’ 

Greyhound notes in its exemption 

application that the Commercial Vehicle 

Safety Alliance (CVSA) submitted a 

petition for rulemaking to FMCSA on 

October 18, 2007, to amend 49 CFR 

393.60(e). The CVSA petition requests 

that the FMCSRs be amended to permit 

video event recorders and similar 

devices that require a clear forward 

facing visual field to be mounted not 

more than 50 mm (2 inches) below the 

upper edge of the area swept by the 

windshield wipers, provided that they 

are located outside the driver’s sight 

lines to the road and highway signs and 

signals. Greyhound proposes to comply 

with the language proposed by CVSA 

during the period of the exemption. A 

copy of Greyhound’s application for 

exemption and the CVSA petition are 

available for review in the docket for 

this notice. 

Comments 

On August 11, 2008, FMCSA 

published notice of this application, and 

asked for public comment (73 FR 

46704). No comments were received. 

Terms and Conditions for the 

Exemption 

Based on its evaluation of the 

application for an exemption, FMCSA 

has decided to grant Greyhound’s 

exemption application. The Agency 

believes that the safety performance of 

Greyhound during the 2-year exemption 

period will likely achieve a level of 

safety that is equivalent to, or greater 

than, the level of safety achieved 

without the exemption because (1) the 

video event recorders would not 

obstruct drivers’ views of the roadway, 

highway signs and surrounding traffic 

because the panoramic windshields 

encompass a large percentage of the 

front of buses and extend well above the 

driver’s sight lines; (2) larger wipers 

increase the swept area well beyond that 

which is recommended by the Society 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
11808 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 52 / Thursday, March 19, 2009 / Notices 

of Automotive Engineers guidelines for 

commercial vehicles; and (3) placement 

of video event recorders just below the 

larger swept area of the wipers will be 

well outside of useable driver’s sight 

lines, and will not negatively affect 

safety. The Agency believes that the 

potential safety gains from the use of 

video event recorders to improve driver 

behavior will improve the overall level 

of safety to the motoring public. 

The Agency hereby grants the 

exemption for a two-year period, 

beginning March 19, 2009 and ending 

March 21, 2011. 

During the exemption period, 

Greyhound must ensure that all video 

event recorders are mounted not more 

than 50 mm (2 inches) below the upper 

edge of the area swept by the 

windshield wipers, and outside the 

driver’s sight lines to the road and 

highway signs and signals. 

Interested parties possessing 

information that would demonstrate 

that Greyhound is not achieving the 

requisite statutory level of safety should 

immediately notify FMCSA. The 

Agency will evaluate any such 

information and, if safety is being 

compromised or if the continuation of 

the exemption is not consistent with 49 

U.S.C. 31315(b) and 31136(e), will take 

immediate steps to revoke Greyhound’s 

exemption, if warranted. 

Preemption 

During the period the exemption is in 

effect, no State shall enforce any law or 

regulation that conflicts with or is 

inconsistent with this exemption with 

respect to a person operating under the 

exemption. 

Issued on: March 12, 2009. 

Rose A. McMurray, 

Acting Deputy Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E9–5990 Filed 3–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Notice of Informational Filing 

For informational purposes only, the 

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 

is providing notice that it has received 

an informational filing from BNSF 

Railway Company (BNSF) to continue 

testing Version II of the railroad’s 

Electronic Train Management System 

(ETMS) submitted pursuant to Title 49 

Code of Federal Regulations § 236.913. 

The informational filing is described 

below, including the submitting party 

and the requisite docket number where 

the informational filing and any related 

information may be found. The 

document is available for public 

inspection; however, FRA is not 

accepting public comment on the 

document. 

BNSF Railway Company (Docket 

Number FRA–2006–23687) 

The BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) 

has submitted an informational filing to 

FRA to extend operational testing of 

ETMS Version II on to its Wichita Falls 

Subdivision. This continued testing will 

allow BNSF to obtain the necessary 

information required to amend its 

currently approved Product Safety Plan 

for ETMS Version I for a future 

submittal to FRA. The informational 

filing has been placed under Docket 

Number FRA–2006–23687 and is 

available for public inspection. 

Interested parties are invited to 

review the informational filing and 

associated documents at the DOT 

Docket Management facility during 

regular business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room 

W12–140, Washington, DC 20590. All 

documents in the public docket are also 

available for inspection and copying on 

the internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

Anyone is able to search the 

electronic form of any written 

communications received into any of 

our dockets by name of the individual 

submitting the document (or signing the 

document, if submitted on behalf of an 

association, business, labor union, etc.). 

You may review the DOT’s complete 

Privacy Act Statement in the Federal 

Register published on April 11, 2000 

(Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477– 

78). 

Issued in Washington, DC on March 12, 

2009. 

Grady C. Cothen, Jr., 

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety 

Standards and Program Development. 

[FR Doc. E9–5842 Filed 3–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[FTA Docket No. FTA–2009–0014] 

Agency Information Collection Activity 

Under OMB Review 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration invites public comments 

about our intention to request the Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) 

approval of the following new 

information collection: 

Grant Accrual Surveys of FTA Grantees 

The information to be collected is 

necessary to determine the grantees’ 

average billing cycle for various FTA 

programs and projects and the amount 

payable to the grantees at the end of the 

accounting period. FTA will use the 

information to calculate a reasonable 

grant accrual liability estimate that will 

be included in its financial statements. 

This will satisfy the requirements of the 

financial statements audit and the Chief 

Financial Officer Act. 

The Federal Register Notice with a 

60-day comment period soliciting 

comments was published on December 

19, 2008. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted 

before April 20, 2009. A comment to 

OMB is most effective if OMB receives 

it within 30 days of publication. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sylvia L. Marion, Office of 

Administration, Office of Management 

Planning, (202) 366–6680. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: The 

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 

administers over 40 programs which 

include Formula grants, New Starts, 

Fixed Guideway Modernization and the 

Bus and Bus Facilities Program. FTA is 

required to estimate and record accrued 

liability and expenses in its financial 

statements for grant expenses incurred 

but not yet submitted to FTA for 

reimbursement by grantees. This is 

required by the Department of 

Transportation, Office of the Secretary, 

and the Federal Accounting Standards 

Advisory Board guidelines. The surveys 

covered in this request will provide 

FTA with a means to gather data 

directly from its grantees. The 

information obtained from the surveys 

will be used to assess how FTA 

estimates the amount owed to its 

grantees at the end of each accounting 

period. FTA needs the survey 

information to meet its Chief Financial 

Officer’s Act financial statement audit 

requirements. The surveys will be 

limited to data collections that solicit 

voluntary opinions and will not involve 

information that is required by 

regulations. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 750 

hours. 

ADDRESSES: All written comments must 

refer to the docket number that appears 

at the top of this document and be 

submitted to the Office of Information 

and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 

Management and Budget, 

725–17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20503, Attention: FTA Desk Officer. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES