47294 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 11, 2017 / Notices 

2017, and will expire on August 30, 

2019. 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315, 

each exemption will be valid for two 

years from the applicable date unless 

revoked earlier by FMCSA. The 

exemption will be revoked if the 

following occurs: (1) The person fails to 

comply with the terms and conditions 

of the exemption; (2) the exemption has 

resulted in a lower level of safety than 

was maintained prior to being granted; 

or (3) continuation of the exemption 

would not be consistent with the goals 

and objectives of 49 U.S.C. 31136 and 

31315. 

Issued on: October 2, 2017. 

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21901 Filed 10–10–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2017–0058] 

Qualification of Drivers; Exemption 

Applications; Hearing 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of applications for 

exemption; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: FMCSA announces receipt of 

applications from 91 individuals for an 

exemption from the hearing requirement 

in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Regulations (FMCSRs) to operate a 

commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in 

interstate commerce. If granted, the 

exemptions would enable these hard of 

hearing and deaf individuals to operate 

CMVs in interstate commerce. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before November 13, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

bearing the Federal Docket Management 

System (FDMS) Docket No. FMCSA– 

2016–0004 using any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery: West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., ET, 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

Holidays. 

• Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

Instructions: Each submission must 

include the Agency name and the 

docket number(s) for this notice. Note 

that all comments received will be 

posted without change to http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided. Please 

see the Privacy Act heading below for 

further information. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments, go to http://

www.regulations.gov at any time or 

Room W12–140 on the ground level of 

the West Building, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 

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

Friday, except Federal holidays. The 

FDMS is available 24 hours each day, 

365 days each year. If you want 

acknowledgment that we received your 

comments, please include a selfaddressed, stamped envelope or 

postcard or print the acknowledgement 

page that appears after submitting 

comments online. 

Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 

U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments 

from the public to better inform its 

rulemaking process. DOT posts these 

comments, without edit, including any 

personal information the commenter 

provides, to http://www.regulations.gov, 

as described in the system of records 

notice (DOT/ALL–14 FDMS), which can 

be reviewed at http://www.dot.gov/ 

privacy. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Christine A. Hydock, Chief, Medical 

Programs Division, (202) 366–4001, 

fmcsamedical@dot.gov, FMCSA, 

Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W64– 

224, Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., ET, 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. If you have questions 

regarding viewing or submitting 

material to the docket, contact Docket 

Services, telephone (202) 366–9826. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

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

FMCSA may grant an exemption from 

the FMCSRs for a five-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.’’ The statute also allows the 

Agency to renew exemptions at the end 

of the five-year period. FMCSA grants 

exemptions from the FMCSRs for a twoyear period to align with the maximum 

duration of a driver’s medical 

certification. 

The 91 individuals listed in this 

notice have requested an exemption 

from the hearing requirement in 49 CFR 

391.41(b)(11). Accordingly, the Agency 

will evaluate the qualifications of each 

applicant to determine whether granting 

the exemption will achieve the required 

level of safety mandated by statute. 

The physical qualification standard 

for drivers regarding hearing found in 

49 CFR 391.41(b)(11) states that a 

person is physically qualified to drive a 

CMV if that person: 

First perceives a forced whispered voice in 

the better ear at not less than 5 feet with or 

without the use of a hearing aid or, if tested 

by use of an audiometric device, does not 

have an average hearing loss in the better ear 

greater than 40 decibels at 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 

and 2,000 Hz with or without a hearing aid 

when the audiometric device is calibrated to 

American National Standard (formerly ASA 

Standard) Z24.5—1951. 

This standard was adopted in 1970 

and was revised in 1971 to allow drivers 

to be qualified under this standard 

while wearing a hearing aid, 35 FR 

6458, 6463 (April 22, 1970) and 36 FR 

12857 (July 3, 1971). 

On February 1, 2013, FMCSA 

announced in a Notice of Final 

Disposition titled, Qualification of 

Drivers; Application for Exemptions; 

National Association of the Deaf, (78 FR 

7479), its decision to grant requests from 

40 individuals for exemptions from the 

Agency’s physical qualification 

standard concerning hearing for 

interstate CMV drivers. Since the 

February 1, 2013 notice, the Agency has 

published additional notices granting 

requests from hard of hearing and deaf 

individuals for exemptions from the 

Agency’s physical qualification 

standard concerning hearing for 

interstate CMV drivers. 

II. Qualifications of Applicants 

Mario Alvarado: Mr. Alvarado, age 28, 

holds an operator’s license in California. 

Shey C. Amberson: Mr. Amberson, age 

39, holds an operator’s license in 

Florida. 

Kasseth Andrews: Mr. Andrews, age 

33, holds an operator’s license in 

Massachusetts. 

Steven Andrews: Mr. Andrews, age 

33, holds an operator’s license in 

Florida. 

Randy Bailey: Mr. Bailey, age 36, 

holds an operator’s license in New 

Jersey. 

Ivan Batista: Mr. Batista, age 36, holds 

an operator’s license in New Jersey. 

Larry G. Beeson: Mr. Beeson, age 75, 

holds a class B CDL in North Carolina. 

Deontae Blanks: Mr. Blanks, age 34, 

holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Daryl A. Broker: Mr. Broker, age 63, 

holds a class A CDL in Minnesota. 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 11, 2017 / Notices 47295 

Justin Brooks: Mr. Brooks, age 37, 

holds an operator’s license in 

Washington. 

Daniel Camp: Mr. Camp, age 28, holds 

an operator’s license in Georgia. 

Joseph Caplan: Mr. Caplan, age 67, 

holds a class A CDL in Connecticut. 

Vincente Carreon: Mr. Carreon, age 

55, holds a class A CDL in Texas. 

Richard N. Casto: Mr. Casto, age 49, 

holds an operator’s license in Ohio. 

Blair D. Chappell: Mr. Chappell, age 

35, holds an operator’s license in 

Pennsylvania. 

Christa B. Coppley: Ms. Coppley, age 

43, holds an operator’s license in North 

Carolina. 

Leslie Crump: Mr. Crump, age 43, 

holds an operator’s license in Indiana. 

William Darnell: Mr. Darnell, age 43, 

holds a class A CDL in Arizona. 

Travis K. Davisson: Mr. Davisson, age 

43, holds a class A CDL in Iowa. 

Sean M. Dearsman: Mr. Dearsman, 

age 39, holds an operator’s license in 

Ohio. 

Shane DiBernado: Mr. DiBernado, age 

22, holds an operator’s license in 

Colorado. 

James Edmonson: Mr. Edmonson, age 

35, holds an operator’s license in 

Louisiana. 

Gary Effner: Mr. Effner, age 46, holds 

an operator’s license in Massachusetts. 

Mitchell R. Estill: Mr. Estill, age 41, 

holds an operator’s license in Missouri. 

Jeremy Exum: Mr. Exum, age 41, 

holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

William F. Farrell: Mr. Farrell, age 59, 

holds an operator’s license in 

Wisconsin. 

Lucius Fowler: Mr. Fowler, age 44, 

holds an operator’s license in Illinois. 

Bruce Francechi: Mr. Francechi, age 

52, holds an operator’s license in New 

York. 

Buddy Gann: Mr. Gann, age 39, holds 

an operator’s license in Indiana. 

Blanca Gerardo: Mr. Gerardo, age 43, 

holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Teela Gilmore: Ms. Gilmore, age 41, 

holds an operator’s license in Georgia. 

Douglas M. Gray: Mr. Gray, age 56, 

holds a class A CDL in Oregon. 

John Grebenc: Mr. Grebenc, age 45, 

holds a class A CDL in Minnesota. 

Kimberly Gumm: Ms. Gumm, age 56, 

holds a Class A CDL in Indiana. 

Conrad Hause: Mr. Hause, age 36, 

holds an operator’s license in Maryland. 

John Hayt, III: Mr. Hayt, age 30, holds 

an operator’s license in Florida. 

Raymond E. Henk: Mr. Henk, age 46, 

holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Jorge L. Hernandez: Mr. Hernandez, 

age 27, holds an operator’s license in 

Texas. 

Andrew J. Hippler: Mr. Hippler, age 

43, holds a class A CDL in Idaho. 

Charles Holbrook: Mr. Holbroon, age 

47, holds a class A CDL in Maryland. 

Paul Hoover: Mr. Hoover, age 30, 

holds a class A CDL in Pennsylvania. 

Buford G. Hudson: Mr. Hudson, age 

50, holds an operator’s license in 

Kentucky. 

Thomas Jensen: Mr. Jensen, age 55, 

holds a class A CDL in Iowa. 

Charles J. Jernigan, Jr.: Mr. Jernigan, 

age 54, holds an operator’s license in 

South Carolina. 

James M. Johnson: Mr. Johnson, age 

46, holds a class A CDL in Minnesota. 

Matthew Jones: Mr. Jones, age 43, 

holds an operator’s license in California. 

Ronald L. Jones: Mr. Jones, age 61, 

holds an operator’s license in 

Oklahoma. 

Wayne A. Kramas: Mr. Kramas, age 

53, holds an operator’s license in 

Wisconsin. 

Daniel Krystosek: Mr. Krystosek, age 

25, holds a class A CDL in Minnesota. 

Nicholas Kulasa: Mr. Kulasa, age 32, 

holds an operator’s license in Illinois. 

Ryan R. Larkin: Mr. Larkin, age 35, 

Holds an operator’s license in 

Massachusetts. 

Aaron S. Leader: Mr. Leader, age 36, 

holds an operator’s license in Arizona. 

Brian Levinson: Mr. Levinson, age 50, 

holds an operator’s license in Florida. 

Benjamin Lockwood: Mr. Lockwood, 

age 27, holds an operator’s license in 

Texas. 

Stephen O. Lothamer: Mr. Lothamer, 

age 55, holds a class A CDL in 

Michigan. 

Pete Love, Jr.: Mr. Love, age 43, holds 

an operator’s license in Nebraska. 

John R. Martikainen: Mr. Martikainen, 

age 38, holds an operator’s license in 

Connecticut. 

Cory McDaniel: Mr. McDaniel, age 29, 

holds an operator’s license in 

Pennsylvania. 

Jamarques McMahon: Mr. McMahon, 

age 24, holds an operator’s license in 

Texas. 

Ty McRae: Mr. McRae, age 23, holds 

an operator’s license in Georgia. 

David W. Morgan: Mr. Morgan, age 47, 

holds an operator’s license in Idaho. 

Coltin Mueller: Mr. Mueller, age 21, 

holds an operator’s license in 

Wisconsin. 

Eddie P. Naquin: Mr. Naquin, age 47, 

holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Ernest O. Noel: Mr. Noel, age 41, 

holds an operator’s license in Indiana. 

Robert C. Oliver: Mr. Oliver, age 45, 

holds a class A CDL in Washington. 

Tim S. Oyler: Mr. Oyler, age 48, holds 

a class A CDL in Utah. 

Douglas Pfueger: Mr. Pfueger, age 52, 

holds an operator’s license in Missouri. 

Charles L. Pitt: Mr. Pitt, age 53, holds 

an operator’s license in Alabama. 

Jonathan Pitts: Mr. Pitts, age 47, holds 

an operator’s license in Maryland. 

Robert F. Quintero: Mr. Quintero, age 

62, holds an operator’s license in 

Illinois. 

Jonathan Ramos: Mr. Ramos, age 30, 

holds an operator’s license in Nebraska. 

James E. Redmond: Mr. Redmond, age 

43, holds an operator’s license in 

Illinois. 

Lucas Robinson: Mr. Robinson, age 

37, holds an operator’s license in Ohio. 

David Rowe: Mr. Rowe, age 41, holds 

an operator’s license in Colorado. 

Dustin Sargent: Mr. Sargent, age 31, 

holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Carl Seabough: Mr. Seabough, age 46, 

Holds an operator’s license in Florida. 

Johnny Seng: Mr. Seng, age 22, holds 

an operator’s license in Rhode Island. 

Michael Singleton: Mr. Singleton, age 

44, holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Marshall Smith: Mr. Smith, age 32, 

holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Lonnie D. Stockton: Mr. Stockton, age 

52, holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Robert S. Swafford: Mr. Swafford, age 

31, holds an operator’s license in 

Oklahoma. 

Michael N. Swetnam: Mr. Swetnam, 

age 63, holds a class A CDL in Texas. 

Courtney D. Turner: Ms. Turner, age 

38, holds a class A CDL in Virginia. 

Corey Twombly: Mr. Twombly, age 

27, holds an operator’s license in New 

York. 

Gary Wallace: Mr. Wallace, age 60, 

holds a class A CDL in North Carolina. 

James R. Wilson: Mr. Wilson, age 40, 

holds an operator’s license in 

Mississippi. 

Melanie Wilson: Ms. Wilson, age 53, 

holds an operator’s license in Texas. 

Ricky M. Winslow: Mr. Winslow, age 

56, holds a class A CDL in Michigan. 

Jerry E. Wright: Mr. Wright, age 63, 

holds a class A CDL in North Carolina. 

Kedir Yimamu: Mr. Yimamu, age 34, 

holds an operator’s license in Virginia. 

Edward J. Zozaya: Mr. Zozaya, age 34, 

holds an operator’s license in Arizona. 

Request for Comments 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) 

and 31315, FMCSA requests public 

comment from all interested persons on 

the exemption petitions described in 

this notice. We will consider all 

comments received before the close of 

business on the closing date indicated 

in the dates section of the notice. 

III. Submitting Comments 

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 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
47296 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 11, 2017 / Notices 

number in the body of your document 

so that FMCSA can contact you if there 

are questions regarding your 

submission. 

To submit your comment online, go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and in the 

search box insert the docket number 

FMCSA–2016–0004 and click the search 

button. When the new screen appears, 

click on the blue ‘‘Comment Now!’’ 

button on the right hand side of the 

page. On the new page, enter 

information required including the 

specific section of this document to 

which each comment applies, and 

provide a reason for each suggestion or 

recommendation. 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. If you 

submit comments by mail and would 

like to know that they reached the 

facility, please enclose a stamped, selfaddressed postcard or envelope. 

We will consider all comments and 

materials received during the comment 

period. FMCSA may issue a final 

determination any time after the close of 

the comment period. 

IV. Viewing Comments and Documents 

To view comments, as well as any 

documents mentioned in this preamble, 

go to http://www.regulations.gov and in 

the search box insert the docket number 

FMCSA–2016–0004 and click ‘‘Search.’’ 

Next, click ‘‘Open Docket Folder’’ and 

you will find all documents and 

comments related to this notice. 

Issued on: October 2, 2017. 

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21896 Filed 10–10–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2017–0020] 

Qualification of Drivers; Exemption 

Applications; Vision 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of final disposition. 

SUMMARY: FMCSA announces its 

decision to exempt 11 individuals from 

the vision requirement in the Federal 

Motor Carrier Safety Regulations 

(FMCSRs) to operate a commercial 

motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate 

commerce. They are unable to meet the 

vision requirement in one eye for 

various reasons. The exemptions enable 

these individuals to operate CMVs in 

interstate commerce without meeting 

the vision requirement in one eye. 

DATES: The exemptions were applicable 

on August 25, 2017. The exemptions 

expire on August 25, 2019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Christine A. Hydock, Chief, Medical 

Programs Division, (202) 366–4001, 

fmcsamedical@dot.gov, FMCSA, 

Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W64– 

224, Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 

p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. If you have 

questions regarding viewing or 

submitting material to the docket, 

contact Docket Services, telephone (202) 

366–9826. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Electronic Access 

You may see all the comments online 

through the Federal Document 

Management System (FDMS) at http://

www.regulations.gov. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments, go to http://

www.regulations.gov and/or Room 

W12–140 on the ground level of the 

West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 

SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 

U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments 

from the public to better inform its 

rulemaking process. DOT posts these 

comments, without edit, including any 

personal information the commenter 

provides, to http://www.regulations.gov, 

as described in the system of records 

notice (DOT/ALL–14 FDMS), which can 

be reviewed at http://www.dot.gov/ 

privacy. 

II. Background 

On July 25, 2017, FMCSA published 

a notice announcing receipt of 

applications from 11 individuals 

requesting an exemption from vision 

requirement in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10) 

and requested comments from the 

public (82 FR 34564). The public 

comment period ended on August 24, 

2017, and no comments were received. 

FMCSA has evaluated the eligibility 

of these applicants and determined that 

granting the exemptions to these 

individuals would achieve a level of 

safety equivalent to or greater than the 

level that would be achieved by 

complying with the current regulation 

49 CFR 391.41(b)(10). 

The physical qualification standard 

for drivers regarding vision found in 49 

CFR 391.41(b)(10) states that a person is 

physically qualified to drive a CMV if 

that person: 

Has distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 

(Snellen) in each eye without corrective 

lenses or visual acuity separately corrected to 

20/40 (Snellen) or better with corrective 

lenses, distant binocular acuity of a least 20/ 

40 (Snellen) in both eyes with or without 

corrective lenses, field of vision of at least 

70° in the horizontal meridian in each eye, 

and the ability to recognize the colors of 

traffic signals and devices showing red, 

green, and amber. 

III. Discussion of Comments 

FMCSA received no comments in this 

proceeding. 

IV. Basis for Exemption Determination 

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

FMCSA may grant an exemption from 

the vision standard in 49 CFR 

391.41(b)(10) if the exemption is likely 

to achieve an equivalent or greater level 

of safety than would be achieved 

without the exemption. The exemption 

allows applicants to operate CMVs in 

interstate commerce. 

The Agency’s decision regarding these 

exemption applications is based on 

medical reports about the applicants’ 

vision as well as their driving records 

and experience driving with the vision 

deficiency. The qualifications, 

experience, and medical condition of 

each applicant were stated and 

discussed in detail in the July 25, 2017, 

Federal Register notice (82 FR 34564) 

and will not be repeated in this notice. 

FMCSA recognizes that some drivers 

do not meet the vision requirement but 

have adapted their driving to 

accommodate their limitation and 

demonstrated their ability to drive 

safely. The 11 exemption applicants 

listed in this notice are in this category. 

They are unable to meet the vision 

requirement in one eye for various 

reasons, including amblyopia, 

enucleated eye, pars planitis, prosthetic 

eye, and retinal detachment. In most 

cases, their eye conditions were not 

recently developed. Nine of the 

applicants were either born with their 

vision impairments or have had them 

since childhood. The two individuals 

that sustained their vision conditions as 

adults have had it for a range of six to 

nine years. Although each applicant has 

one eye which does not meet the vision 

requirement in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), 

each has at least 20/40 corrected vision 

in the other eye, and in a doctor’s 

opinion, has sufficient vision to perform 

all the tasks necessary to operate a CMV. 

Doctors’ opinions are supported by 

the applicants’ possession of a valid 

license to operate a CMV. By meeting 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES