Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension of a Currently-Approved Information Collection: Accident Recordkeeping Requirements

G. Kelly Regal
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
7 July 2017

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 129 (Friday, July 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31682-31683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14272]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2016-0354]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension of a 
Currently-Approved Information Collection: Accident Recordkeeping 
Requirements

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. FMCSA is requesting approval to extend a 
currently-approved ICR entitled ``Accident Recordkeeping 
Requirements.'' This ICR relates to Agency requirements that motor 
carriers maintain a record of accidents involving their commercial 
motor vehicles (CMVs). On March 22, 2017, FMCSA published a Federal 
Register notice announcing an increase in the Agency's estimate of the 
total information-collection (IC) burden of this requirement and asked 
for public comment. No comments were received. The regulatory burden 
has not changed, but the population of motor carriers has increased, 
both organically and because the Agency now includes the population of 
intrastate motor carriers in this ICR.

DATES: Please send your comments by August 7, 2017. OMB must receive 
your comments by this date to act quickly on the ICR.

ADDRESSES: All comments should reference Federal Docket Management 
System (FDMS) Docket Number FMCSA-2016-0354. Interested persons are 
invited to submit written comments on the proposed information 
collection to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office 
of Management and Budget. Comments should be addressed to the attention 
of the OMB Desk Officer, DOT/FMCSA, and sent via electronic mail to 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov, faxed to (202) 395-6974, or mailed to the 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 
20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert F. Schultz, FMCSA Driver 
and Carrier Operations Division, DOT, FMCSA, West Building 6th Floor, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-
4325. Email: MCPSD@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Accident Recordkeeping Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-0009.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Respondents: Motor Carriers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 886,122 motor carriers.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 120,522.
    Estimated Time per Response: 18 minutes.
    Expiration Date: July 31, 2017.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 36,157 hours [120,522 accidents x 18 
minutes per response/60 minutes in an hour].
    Definition: ``Accident'' means an occurrence involving a CMV 
operating on a public road that results in: (1) A fatality, (2) bodily 
injury to a person who, because of the injury, immediately receives 
medical treatment away from the scene of the accident, or (3) one or 
more motor vehicles being towed from the scene due to disabling damage 
(49

[[Page 31683]]

CFR 390.5 and as well as in section 390.5T while in effect).

Background

    Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 390.15(b), 
requires motor carriers to make certain specified records and 
information pertaining to CMV accidents available to an authorized 
representative or special agent of the FMCSA upon request or as part of 
an inquiry. Motor carriers are required to maintain an ``accident 
register'' consisting of information concerning all ``accidents'' 
involving their CMVs (49 CFR 390.15(b)(see ``Definition: Accident,'' 
above). The following information must be recorded for each accident: 
Date, location, driver name, number of injuries, number of fatalities, 
and whether certain dangerous hazardous materials were released. In 
addition, the motor carrier must maintain copies of all accident 
reports required by insurers or governmental entities. Motor carriers 
must maintain this information for three years after the date of the 
accident. Section 390.15 does not require motor carriers to submit any 
information or records to FMCSA or any other party.
    This ICR supports the DOT strategic goal of safety. By requiring 
motor carriers to gather and record information concerning CMV 
accidents, FMCSA is strengthening its ability to assess the safety 
performance of motor carriers. This information is a valuable resource 
in Agency initiatives to prevent, and reduce the severity of, CMV 
crashes.
    The Agency increases its burden estimate from 26,700 to 36,157 
hours. The regulatory requirement has not changed for accident 
recordkeeping. The increase is due to two revised estimates: (1) The 
population of motor carriers subject to the regulation, from 520,000 to 
886,122, and (2) the number of reportable accidents, from 89,000 to 
120,522. The Agency has amended the population of motor carriers to 
include the accident recordkeeping burden of intrastate motor carriers. 
In past estimates, the Agency had taken the position that the accident 
recordkeeping of intrastate carriers occurred as a result of State law. 
However, the OMB has directed FMCSA to include such intrastate 
activities in its IC estimates, so we do so in this burden estimate 
statement for the first time. The Agency estimates that 886,122 motor 
carriers are subject to accident register requirements (508,367 
interstate and 377,755 intrastate motor carriers). The Agency further 
estimates that the number of accidents that must be reported by 
intrastate or interstate motor carriers is 120,522.
    The Agency received no comments to the 60-day Federal Register 
notice published on March 22, 2017 (82 FR 14793).

Public Comments Invited

    FMCSA requests that you comment on any aspect of this information 
collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed collection is necessary 
for FMCSA to perform its functions, (2) the accuracy of the estimated 
burden, (3) ways for the 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.

    Issued under the authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.87 on: June 28, 
2017.
G. Kelly Regal,
Associate Administrator for Office of Research and Information 
Technology.
[FR Doc. 2017-14272 Filed 7-6-17; 8:45 am]
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