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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 104604-104605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30516]

[[Page 104604]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2024-0204]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Renewal of a Currently 
Approved Collection: Driver Qualification Files

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
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. FMCSA requests 
approval to revise and renew an ICR titled ``Driver Qualification 
Files,'' OMB Control Number 2126-0004. The ICR estimates the burden 
commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and motor carriers incur to 
comply with the reporting and recordkeeping tasks required for motor 
carriers to maintain driver qualification (DQ) files. The Agency's 
regulations pertaining to maintaining DQ files are unchanged and impose 
no increased information collection (IC) burden on individual drivers 
and motor carriers. However, the Agency increases its estimate of the 
total IC burden of these regulations primarily because both the number 
of CMV drivers and the frequency of their hiring have increased since 
the Agency's 2022 estimate of this burden.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before February 
21, 2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FMCSA-
2024-0204 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: (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: Ms. Pearlie Robinson, Driver and 
Carrier Operations Division, DOT, FMCSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001; 202-366-4225; [email protected]

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-2024-0204), indicate the specific section of this 
document to which the comment applies and provide a reason for 
suggestions or recommendations. 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 the Agency can contact you if it has questions 
regarding your submission.
    To submit your comment online, go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FMCSA-2024-0204 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 unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ 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 regulatory process. DOT posts these 
comments, including any personal information the commenter provides, to 
www.regulations.gov as described in the system of records notice DOT/
ALL 14 (Federal Docket Management System (FDMS)), which can be reviewed 
at https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/privacy/privacy-act-system-records-notices. The comments are posted without edits and are 
searchable by the name of the submitter.

Background

    The Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1984 (Pub. L. 98-554, title II, 98 
Stat. 2834 (Oct. 30, 1984)) requires the Secretary of Transportation to 
issue regulations pertaining to CMV safety. Part 391 of volume 49 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) contains the minimum 
qualifications of drivers of CMVs in interstate commerce.
    Motor carriers may not require or permit an unqualified driver to 
operate a CMV. The foremost proof of driver qualification is the 
information that part 391 requires be collected and maintained in the 
DQ file (49 CFR 391.51). Motor carriers must obtain this information 
from sources specified in the regulations, such as the driver, previous 
employers of the driver, and officials of the State of driver 
licensure. Motor carriers are not required to forward DQ information to 
FMCSA but must maintain the information in a DQ file and make it 
available to State and Federal safety investigators on demand.
    Through this ICR, FMCSA is asking OMB's approval to renew and 
revise its estimate of the paperwork burden imposed by its DQ file 
regulations. The regulations have not been amended; the IC burden 
imposed on individual drivers and motor carriers by the regulations is 
unchanged. The current IC burden estimate approved by OMB is 14.23 
million hours. The Agency has increased its estimate of the total IC 
burden from 14.23 million hours to 18.39 million hours. The increase in 
burden hours is primarily the result of a larger driver population and 
a higher driver turnover rate, both of which affect the volume of 
documents produced and filed in DQ files. The draft supporting 
statement for this ICR is available in the docket.
    Title: Driver Qualification Files.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-0004.
    Type of Request: Renewal of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Respondents: CMV motor carriers and drivers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 9.87 million (9.06 million drivers 
+ 0.81 million motor carriers).
    Expiration Date: May 31, 2025.

[[Page 104605]]

    Frequency of Response: The information on some DQ documents is only 
provided one time, such as that furnished at the time the individual 
applies for employment as a driver. Other information must be obtained 
by the motor carrier within 30 days of the date the driver begins to 
drive a CMV for the employer. Other information, such as the driver's 
motor vehicle record, is only updated once a year.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 18.39 million hours.
    Definitions: N/A.
    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 delegated in 49 CFR 1.87.
Thomas P. Keane,
Associate Administrator, Office of Research and Registration.
[FR Doc. 2024-30516 Filed 12-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P
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