104604 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 246 / Monday, December 23, 2024 / Notices 

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. 

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; pearlie.robinson@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–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 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 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-systemrecords-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. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 246 / Monday, December 23, 2024 / Notices 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 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2024–0178] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Renewal of an Approved 

Information Collection: Road Test 

Requirement 

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. FMCSA requests approval to 

renew the ICR titled ‘‘Road Test 

Requirement.’’ This ICR estimates the 

information burden incurred by motor 

carriers associated with the road test 

requirements in two circumstances. The 

first is when the motor carrier hires a 

new driver. The second is when the 

road test is required for individuals 

physically qualified under the Agency’s 

alternative vision standard for the first 

time. In each circumstance, motor 

carriers are required to rate the 

performance of the driver during the test 

on a road test form provided by the 

motor carrier. If the road test is 

successfully completed, the motor 

carrier completes a certificate of driver’s 

road test and provides a copy to the 

driver. The motor carrier retains the 

original signed road test form and the 

original, or a copy, of the signed 

certificate in the driver qualification 

file. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received on or before January 22, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this information 

collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 

30-day Review—Open for Public 

Comments’’ or by using the search 

function. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Pearlie Robinson, Driver and Carrier 

Operations Division, DOT, FMCSA, 

West Building, 6th Floor, 1200 New 

Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 

20590–0001; 202–366–4225; 

pearlie.robinson@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Road Test Requirement. 

OMB Control Number: 2126–0072. 

Type of Request: Renewal of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents: Motor carriers. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

3,187,668. 

Estimated Time per Response: 33 

minutes. 

Expiration Date: March 31, 2025. 

Frequency of Response: On occasion. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

584,408. 

Background 

This ICR supports the DOT strategic 

goal of safety. Public interest in highway 

safety dictates that employers hire 

drivers who can safely operate CMVs 

amid the various physical and mental 

demands of truck and bus driving. 

Subject to some exceptions, 49 CFR 

391.31 requires a motor carrier to 

conduct a road test when the motor 

carrier hires a new driver. The motor 

carrier is required to rate the 

performance of the driver during the test 

on a road test form provided by the 

motor carrier. If the road test is 

successfully completed, the motor 

carrier completes a certificate of driver’s 

road test and provides a copy to the 

driver. The motor carrier retains the 

original signed road test form and the 

original, or a copy, of the signed 

certificate in the driver qualification 

file. Motor carriers may maintain the 

required road test form and certificate 

electronically or via paper copy. The 

information collected by the motor 

carrier is needed to document the motor 

carrier conducted the road test as 

required and determined the driver can 

operate a CMV safely. The information 

also assists Federal and State safety 

investigators in determining that motor 

carriers fulfilled their regulatory 

requirements when deciding who may 

drive CMVs on their behalf and in 

assessing the qualifications of drivers. 

The ICR estimates the informationcollection (IC) burden incurred by motor 

carriers associated with the § 391.31 

road test in two circumstances. The first 

is when the road test is required by 

§ 391.31 (IC–1); the second is when the 

road test is required as part of the 

alternative vision standard in § 391.44 

(IC–2). However, individuals are 

excepted from the road test requirement 

if they have 3 years of intrastate or 

specific excepted interstate CMV 

driving experience with the vision 

deficiency, hold a valid Federal vision 

exemption, or are medically certified 

under § 391.64(b). Most of the motor 

carrier burden hours and cost for the 

information collection relates to IC–1. 

Renewal of This IC 

The current burden estimate 

associated with this IC, approved by 

OMB on March 28, 2022, is 273,888 

hours. The expiration date of the current 

ICR is March 31, 2025. Through this ICR 

renewal, the Agency requests an 

increase in the burden hours from 

273,888 hours to 584,408 hours. The 

increase is the result of an increase in 

the estimated driver population as well 

as an increase in the expected industry 

growth rate for drivers from 2022 to 

2032. 

On September 13, 2024, FMCSA 

published a Federal Register notice 

allowing for a 60-day comment period 

on this ICR (89 FR 75011). The comment 

period closed on November 12, 2024. 

There were no comments submitted in 

response to that notice. 

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 


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