[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 71 (Thursday, April 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18871-18873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-9182]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary


NAFTA Land Transportation Standards Subcommittee Work Program

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Office of International Transportation 
and Trade, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice gives the status of the Department of 
Transportation's (DOT) actions to implement the Land Transportation 
Standards Subcommittee (LTSS) work program set forth in the North 
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It also describes the LTSS' 
scope of work, notifies the public of upcoming meetings, and invites 
interested parties to write to DOT to be included in the Department's 
distribution list for LTSS reports and related information.
    The United States, Canada, and Mexico intend to continue to work to 
develop more compatible land transportation standards through the LTSS 
in accordance with a timetable set in the NAFTA. Five working groups of 
federal and state government technical experts from the three countries 
were established last year to accomplish this work under the direction 
of the LTSS. The groups made considerable progress during the NAFTA's 
first year, including the completion of efforts related to cross-border 
rail operations. Representatives from industry, labor, and safety 
advocacy organizations, while not directly involved in the LTSS 
process, may take part in briefings and listening sessions conducted 
before or after the official meetings. In 1994, the LTSS held one 
plenary session, one executive session, and eight working group 
meetings. Copies of the LTSS 1994 Annual Report will be available in 
mid-May. The U.S. Department of Transportation conducted two public 
briefings in August and November 1994. The Department intends to 
publish periodic notices on the LTSS' activities, and to distribute 
regularly relevant information to individuals and organizations on its 
mailing list. Respondents are requested to send a fax or a post card 
with their full names and addresses to DOT, specifying the group(s) 
about which they would like to receive information. 

[[Page 18872]]


Background

    The NAFTA establishes a Committee on Standards-Related Measures, 
and requires that it create a subcommittee to seek--to the extent 
practicable--compatibility of land transportation standards among the 
United States, Canada, and Mexico. Annex 913.5.a-1 of the NAFTA sets 
forth the work program that the LTSS will follow for seeking 
compatibility of the countries' standards-related measures for bus and 
truck operations, rail personnel standards that are relevant to cross-
border operations, and the transportation of hazardous materials.

Land Transportation Standards Subcommittee

    The LTSS meets once a year chaired, on the U.S. side, by the 
Director of the Office of International Transportation and Trade, 
Office of the Secretary of Transportation. The chair gives general 
guidance and direction to U.S. working group heads, establishes the 
parameters for participation of U.S. delegates in delegation and 
trinational meetings, and prepares policy recommendations--with the 
help of working group chairs--for the Secretary of Transportation's 
consideration. U.S. participants to the LTSS include: (1) Federal 
officials from the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), the 
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Railroad 
Administration (FRA), the Research and Special Programs Administration 
(RSPA), the U.S. Department of State, the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, and other federal agencies as appropriate; and (2) 
state policy-makers identified by the National Governors' Association. 
Direct participation in the LTSS by other-than-government entities was 
extensively debated by U.S., Canadian, and Mexican officials, with only 
the United States favoring the inclusion of such entities in the LTSS. 
As a result, the three countries agreed to hold trinational listening 
sessions before each plenary meeting and to conduct independent 
briefings as each country deemed appropriate. The LTSS held its first 
plenary session on July 12, 1994, in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The 
heads of the three delegations also held an executive session on 
November 14, in Washington, D.C., to assess their progress. The working 
groups met on July 11 and at various other times in 1994. Dates of 
upcoming meetings are included below; meetings may be added or 
cancelled on short notice.
Working Groups

    Five working groups comprising of federal, state, and provincial 
officials from the three countries were formed last year. In the United 
States, each working group operates under the leadership of a DOT 
official. The working groups analyze technical issues and provide the 
LTSS chair with information and advice on which to base policy options 
and recommendations. By invitation, representatives of state government 
organizations such as the American Association of State Highway and 
Transportation Officials, the American Association of Motor Vehicle 
Administrators, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the 
International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association 
of State Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the Cooperative Hazardous 
Materials Enforcement Development Program, and others may also 
participate on the working groups. Individual working groups determine 
the frequency of meetings depending on the scope of work and the time-
frame established in the NAFTA for seeking compatibility for the 
specific standards under each group's jurisdiction. Following is 
information on the working groups and their accomplishments to date.
    1. Working Group 1--This group will consider medical and non-
medical standards-related measures for drivers, including age and 
language requirements. It will also review measures with respect to 
vehicles such as tires, brakes, parts and accessories, cargo 
securement, maintenance and repair, inspections, and emissions and 
environmental pollution levels not covered by the Automotive Standards 
Council's work program established under Annex 913.5.a-3 of the NAFTA. 
In addition, it will examine standards related to the supervision and 
enforcement of motor carrier safety compliance. The group met in 
Winnipeg in October 1994 with representatives of state and provincial 
organizations to discuss standards related to the age and language of 
drivers. Soon after, on November 22, 1994, Mexico passed a law raising 
the age of commercial vehicle drivers from 18 to 21 and requiring that 
drivers have a secondary education that includes language courses in 
English. The new requirements are consistent with U.S. standards. 
Canadian action is pending. The group has developed a plan setting the 
priorities and time-frames for examining the standards for brakes, 
parts and accessories, and the securement of cargo. The plan involves 
reviewing each country's individual standards to assess their level of 
equivalency, determining whether discrepancies would impede cross-
border trade, and reaching agreements on how to make them more 
compatible. At the Winnipeg meeting, the group passed a resolution 
agreeing to use the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) 
criteria for performing vehicle inspections and placing vehicles out-
of-service. The group will hold its next meeting on April 26, 1995, in 
Colorado. For more information call Tom Kozlowski, International 
Programs Coordinator, Office of Motor Carriers/FHWA, at (202) 366-5370.
    2. Working Group 2--This group will analyze the development of more 
compatible vehicle weight and dimension standards. As a first step, an 
ad hoc group of technical experts did an extensive comparison of U.S., 
Canadian, and Mexican standards last year. The tables are now being 
revised to reflect changes in Mexican requirements which were published 
on November 24, 1994. Working Group 2 will hold its second meeting on 
April 11 and 12, 1995, to agree on a work plan for making the size and 
weights standards of the three countries more compatible. There are two 
proposals under consideration, one presented by Mexico in July 1994 and 
another one submitted by Canada in October 1994. For information call 
Susan Binder, Division Administrator/FHWA, at (410) 962-4440.
    3. Working Group 3--This group is responsible for seeking 
compatibility of standards-related measures relating to traffic control 
devices. The working group has met twice (July and October 1994) and 
produced a comparison of traffic control devices in the three 
countries. A report prepared by the working group leaders identifies 
differences and recommends possible actions. The report notes that 
existing discrepancies in this area will not significantly hinder the 
movement of cargo and vehicles. For information call Ernest D. L. 
Huckaby, Traffic Control Device Team Leader, Office of Highway Safety/
FHWA, at (202) 366-9064.
    4. Working Group 4--This group was charged with working towards 
making more compatible standards related to rail operating personnel 
that are relevant to cross-border operations, as well as standards 
related to locomotives and other rail equipment. In accordance with the 
NAFTA timetable, the group completed its work in January 1995. A final 
report describing the group's efforts and listing technical standards 
that need to be made compatible in the future is now in preparation. As 
appropriate, U.S., Canadian, and 

[[Page 18873]]
Mexican delegates will continue to work on bilateral or trilateral 
issues outside the LTSS structure. For information and copies of the 
report call Jane Bachner, Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy/
FRA, at (202) 366-0344.
    5. Working Group 5--This group is seeking compatibility of 
standards related to the transportation of hazardous materials. Both 
the United States and Canada have essentially equivalent hazardous 
materials transportation requirements based on the United Nations 
Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Mexico has enacted 
legislation that provides for the development of standards consistent 
with the U.N. recommendations. The working group held meetings in 
October 1994 and in January 1995. Last fall the United States and 
Mexico issued jointly the U.S. Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) in 
Spanish, of which 30,000 copies have been distributed in Mexico. This 
enabled harmonization of U.S. and Mexican emergency response 
information requirements. The three countries plan to issue a North 
American ERG by January 1996 by consolidating the information in the 
U.S. and Canadian guidebooks. In addition, Mexico has adopted a number 
of other standards that are compatible with U.S. and Canadian hazardous 
materials transportation regulations. For information call Frits 
Wybenga, International Standards Coordinator for Hazardous Materials/
RSPA, at (202) 366-0656.

Meetings and Deadline

    The LTSS will hold its second plenary session on June 28, 1995, at 
the Wall Center Garden Hotel, 1088 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British 
Columbia, Canada. In conjunction with the plenary meeting, the working 
groups may meet at the same location on June 27 and 28. Also at the 
same site, on June 27, special sessions will be held for 
representatives for the truck, bus, rail, and chemical manufacturing 
industries, transportation labor unions, brokers, and shippers, public 
safety advocates, and others who have notified us of their interest to 
attend and have submitted copies of their presentations to DOT at the 
address below by May 12, 1995. Subsequently, the Department of 
Transportation will hold a public briefing in Washington, D.C., to 
discuss the results of the listening session and the plenary and 
working group meetings. A notice announcing the meeting's date, time, 
and place will be published in the Federal Register two weeks in 
advance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact David DeCarme, Chief, Maritime, 
Surface, and Facilitation Division, Office of International 
Transportation and Trade, Office of the Secretary of Transportation, at 
(202) 366-2892.

ADDRESS AND FAX NUMBER: Individuals and organizations interested in 
being placed on the mailing list for receiving LTSS-related information 
are requested to send a post card indicating the complete name and 
address where the information should be sent, and specifying the group 
or groups about which information is desired. Mail post cards to David 
DeCarme, U.S. Department of Transportation, OST/X-20, Room 10300, 400 
Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590. Respondents may also send 
the above information by fax at (202) 366-7417.
Arnold Levine,
Director, Office of International Transportation and Trade.
[FR Doc. 95-9182 Filed 4-12-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P