Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension of a Currently-Approved Information Collection: Unified Registration System, FMCSA Registration/Updates

G. Kelly Regal
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
10 June 2016

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 112 (Friday, June 10, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37661-37662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13752]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2016-0161]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension of a 
Currently-Approved Information Collection: Unified Registration System, 
FMCSA Registration/Updates

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, FMCSA 
announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval and invites public comment. The FMCSA requests approval to 
extend an ICR titled, ``Unified Registration System, FMCSA 
Registration/Updates.'' This ICR is due to the Agency's development of 
a Final Rule titled, ``Unified Registration System'' (78 FR 52608 dated 
August 23, 2013) requiring those entities that are subject to the 
FMCSA's licensing, registration and certification regulations to use a 
new electronic on-line application Form MCSA-1 titled, ``FMCSA 
Registration/Update(s)'' to make data more readily accessible for all 
regulated entities. On October 21, 2015, FMCSA published a final rule 
delaying the final effective date of the URS final rule until September 
30, 2016, with full compliance not due until December 31, 2016.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before August 9, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Federal Docket 
Management System (FDMS) Docket Number FMCSA-2016-0161 using any of the 
following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m. E.T., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and 
docket number. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and 
additional information on the exemption process, see the Public 
Participation heading below. 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.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov, and follow the 
online instructions for accessing the dockets, or go to the street 
address listed above.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement for the Federal Docket Management System 
published in the Federal Register on January 17, 2008 (73 FR 3316), or 
you may visit http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdfE8-794.pdf.
    Public Participation: The Federal eRulemaking Portal is available 
24 hours each day, 365 days each year. You can obtain electronic 
submission and retrieval help and guidelines under the ``help'' section 
of the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site. If you want us to notify 
you that we received your comments, please include a self-addressed, 
stamped envelope or postcard, or print the acknowledgement page that 
appears after submitting comments online. Comments received after the 
comment closing date will be included in the docket and will be 
considered to the extent practicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jeffrey Secrist, Office of 
Registration and Safety Information, Department of Transportation, 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Telephone Number: (202) 385-2367; Email 
Address: jeff.secrist@dot.gov. Office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 
p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: Section 103 of the ICC Termination Act of 1995 (ICCTA) 
enacted 49 U.S.C. 13908, which required the Secretary of Transportation 
(Secretary) to propose regulations to replace four current 
identification and registration systems with a single, online, Federal 
system--the Unified Registration System (URS). The Unified Carrier 
Registration Act of 2005, subtitle C of title IV of the Safe, 
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy 
for Users (SAFETEA-LU) [Pub. L. 109-59, 119 Stat. 1714, August 10, 
2005] modified the requirements for a unified registration system by 
amending Sec.  13908. In particular, SAFETEA-LU repealed the Single 
State Registration System (SSRS), one of the four systems identified in 
Sec.  13908, and replaced it with the Unified Carrier Registration 
Agreement. It also modified the requirement that fees collected under 
the new system cover the costs of operating and upgrading the 
registration by placing limitations on certain fees that the Agency 
could charge. Section 4304 of SAFETEA-LU reiterated the congressional 
requirement for a single, Federal online system to replace the four 
individual systems identified under 49 U.S.C. 13908. This consolidation 
simplifies current Federal registration processes and makes data on 
interstate motor carriers, property brokers, freight forwarders, and 
other regulated entities more accessible. The URS applies to virtually 
every motor carrier, property broker, freight forwarder, cargo tank 
facility, and intermodal equipment provider that is required to 
register with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT).
    This information collection supports the DOT Strategic Goal of 
Safety. It will streamline the existing registration process and ensure 
that FMCSA can more efficiently track motor carriers, freight 
forwarders, brokers, and other entities regulated by the Agency.
    The information on the on-line Form MCSA-1 will be used by FMCSA to 
identify its regulated entities, to help prioritize the Agency's 
activities, to aid in assessing the safety outcomes of those activities 
and for statistical purposes. The FMCSA will collect the information 
electronically through on-line forms. The information is currently 
being collected through a series of forms, which may be filed on-line 
or on paper. Every interstate motor carrier operating commercial motor 
vehicles is required to register with FMCSA to obtain a

[[Page 37662]]

USDOT Number. Most for-hire carriers are also required to file a 
separate application for operating authority under 49 U.S.C. 13901. 
Mexico- and Non-North America-domiciled motor carriers file a separate 
registration form. The information collection will replace these three 
collections and create a single on-line form. This rule will streamline 
the collection and eliminate the need for motor carriers to file the 
same information on multiple forms.
    Title: Unified Registration System, FMCSA Registration/Updates.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-0051.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Respondents: Motor carriers (including private and exempt for-hire 
carriers effective September 30, 2016), freight forwarders, brokers, 
cargo tank (CT) facilities, and intermodal equipment providers (IEPs) 
that are required to initially register for and then maintain their 
safety and operating authority registrations with USDOT.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 78,400 respondents for initial 
registration filings; 507,500 respondents for completing the biennial 
update; 13,000 respondents for filing name/address change requests; 
1,100 respondents for transfer of operating authority registration 
notifications; and 2,030 respondents for reinstatements of operating 
authority registration.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.34 hours for initial registration 
filings; and 10 minutes each for the biennial update, name/address 
change request, notification of transfer of operating authority 
registration, and reinstatement of revoked or inactive registration.
    Expiration Date: November 30, 2016.
    Frequency of Response: This information collection covers the 
initial application to register with FMCSA as a motor carrier, freight 
forwarder, broker, intermodal equipment provider, and cargo tank 
facility; as well as subsequent applications to complete a biennial 
update or any other update of the information recorded on the 
registration system, submit a name/address change request, seek a 
reinstatement of revoked or inactive registration, and notify the 
Agency of a transfer of operating authority registration.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 105,000 burden hours for the initial 
applications of registration; 84,600 burden hours for completing 
biennial updates; 2,200 burden hours for filing name/address change 
requests; 180 burden hours for operating authority registration 
transfer notifications; and 340 burden hours for reinstatements of 
revoked or inactive registration; for a total estimated annual burden 
of 192,320 hours.
    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 information 
collection.

    Issued on: June 3, 2016.
 G. Kelly Regal,
Associate Administrator, Office of Research and Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2016-13752 Filed 6-9-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P