30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Pilot Program To Allow 18- to 21-Year-Old Persons With Military Driving Experience To Operate Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs) in Interstate Commerce

G. Kelly Regal
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
27 November 2018

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 27, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60950-60953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25846]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0196]


30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Pilot Program 
To Allow 18- to 21-Year-Old Persons With Military Driving Experience To 
Operate Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs) in Interstate Commerce

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department 
of Transportation (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. Pursuant to Section 5404 of the Fixing America's Surface 
Transportation Act, 2015 (FAST Act), FMCSA proposes a 3-year period of 
information collection to determine: (1) Whether the safety outcomes 
(to include crashes, moving violations, inspection violations, and 
safety critical events as available) of drivers under the age of 21 
with military experience in the operation of heavy vehicles (i.e., 
``covered drivers'') participating in interstate commerce are similar 
to the safety outcomes of CMV drivers between the ages of 21 and 24 
(i.e., drivers aged 21, 22, 23, or 24) operating freight-carrying CMVs, 
and (2) how training and experience impact the safety of the 18- to 20-
year-old driving population. FMCSA proposed this pilot program and 
solicited public comment on August 22, 2016. Two Federal Register 
notices were published on July 6, 2018. One notice requested comments 
on this proposed information collection request (83 FR 31631) and the 
other announced programmatic details for participating in the pilot 
program and responded to comments received on the initial proposal for 
the pilot program (83 FR 31633). The comment period was open for 60-
days and closed on September 4, 2018. In response to the notice, FMCSA 
received 37 comments.

DATES: Please send your comments by December 28, 2018. OMB must receive 
your comments by this date in order to act quickly on the ICR.

ADDRESSES: All comments should reference Federal Docket Management 
System (FDMS) Docket Number FMCSA-2017-0196. 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 Desk Officer, Department of Transportation/Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Administration, and sent via electronic mail to 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov, or 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: Nicole Michel, Research Division, 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey

[[Page 60951]]

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001, by email at 
nicole.michel@dot.gov, or by telephone at (202) 366-4354. If you have 
questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, contact 
Docket Services, telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Proposed Information Collection for a Pilot Program to Allow 
18- to 21-Year-Old Persons with Military Driving Experience to Operate 
CMVs in Interstate Commerce.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-NEW.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Respondents: Motor carriers; 21- to 24-year-old entry-level CMV 
drivers with valid commercial drivers' licenses (CDLs) operating in 
freight-carrying interstate commerce (control group drivers); 18- to 
20-year-old freight-carrying CMV drivers with a valid CDL operating in 
intrastate commerce (intrastate group drivers); 18- to 20-year-old 
current or former military personnel with training in heavy-duty 
vehicle operations (covered drivers) and valid CDLs with a K-
restriction.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,570. [Motor carriers: 70 in 
total; 50 at any given time. Control group drivers: 500 in total (Year 
1 = 300; Year 2 = 100; Year 3 = 100; Annualized = 166.7). Intrastate 
group drivers: 500 in total (Year 1 = 300; Year 2 = 100; Year 3 = 100; 
Annualized = 166.7). Covered group drivers: 500 in total (Year 1 = 300; 
Year 2 = 100; Year 3 = 100; Annualized = 166.7).
    Estimated Time per Response: Motor Carriers: application--20 
minutes (one-time response); monthly data submission--45 minutes (per 
participating driver); miscellaneous additional data submissions--60 
minutes per month (e.g. notification of a crash with injury or 
fatality, notification of a driver leaving the carrier or study); 
monthly supporting information--15 minutes (per sponsored participating 
driver, monthly; e.g., optional on-board monitoring system [OBMS] logs, 
investigation findings for crashes). Drivers: background information 
and informed consent forms--20 minutes (one-time response).
    Expiration Date: N/A. This is a new information collection request 
(ICR).
    Frequency of Response: This is a one-time pilot program that will 
span a 3-year period of data collection. Throughout the 3-year pilot 
program, the response frequencies are: Motor-carrier applications: one-
time response. Driver demographic and release forms: one-time response. 
Motor carrier driver data submission: monthly (see ``Estimated Time per 
Response'' for more details).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 7,974.5 hours annualized. [This 
includes 7.8 hours annualized for motor carrier applications; 166.67 
hours annualized for driver information and informed consent forms; 
5,400 hours annualized for monthly driver activity and safety data; 600 
hours annualized for miscellaneous tasks; and 1,800 hours annualized 
for additional supporting data.]

Background

I. Project Summary

Purpose

    Pursuant to Section 5404 of the FAST Act, the proposed ICR will 
support research to determine whether the safety outcomes of covered 
drivers participating in interstate commerce are similar to the safety 
outcomes of older entry-level drivers, and how training and experience 
impact the safety of the 18- to 20-year-old driving population.

FAST Act Mandate

    Section 5404 of the FAST Act (Pub. L. 114-94, 129 Stat. 1312, 1549, 
Dec. 4, 2015) (49 U.S.C. 31315 note) requires the establishment of a 
data collection program to collect and analyze data regarding crashes 
involving covered drivers participating in the pilot program, and 
drivers under the age of 21 operating CMVs in intrastate commerce. A 
``covered driver'' is defined as a current or former member of the 
armed forces or reserve components between the ages of 18 and 21 (i.e., 
a driver aged 18, 19, or 20), who is qualified in a Military 
Occupational Specialty (MOS) to operate a CMV or similar vehicle. A 
report detailing the findings will be submitted to Congress no later 
than one year after completing data collection. A working group was 
also established under section 5404 to review this data collection and 
provide advice to FMCSA.

Regulatory Relief

    Drivers of CMVs engaged in interstate commerce must be at least 21 
years of age (49 CFR 391.11(b)(1)). This includes CMVs for which CDLs 
are required and certain other CMVs for which a CDL is not required.
    In the May 9, 2011, final rule on ``Commercial Driver's License 
Testing and Commercial Learner's Permit Standards,'' (76 FR 26854), the 
Agency set a minimum age of 18 for an individual to obtain a CLP. A CDL 
holder under the age of 21 must have a ``K'' restriction on their CDL, 
which limits the driver to operating in intrastate commerce. Therefore, 
the proposed pilot program requires that participating drivers be 
provided relief from sections of 49 CFR parts 383 and 391 concerning 
minimum age requirements so that the covered drivers may operate in 
interstate commerce.

II. Data Collection Plan

    Details of the data collection plan for this pilot program are 
subject to change based on comments in the docket and further review by 
FMCSA.
    The data collection plan calls for 50 motor carriers to be active 
in the pilot program at a time who will each identify and employ at 
least one covered group driver in addition to intrastate drivers and/or 
control group drivers. Carriers will report safety data to FMCSA. Note 
that while only 50 carriers are expected to participate at any given 
time, an estimated 70 carriers will participate throughout the 3-year 
study due to carrier turnover.
    FMCSA anticipates an average of 600 drivers participating in the 
study per year (200 control group, 200 intrastate, and 200 covered 
drivers). An estimated 300 replacement drivers (100 control group, 100 
intrastate, and 100 covered) will participate during each year of the 
3-year program due to expected driver turnover.
    The information collection can be summarized by the following:

     A motor carrier application (completed once at the time 
of application) for participation in the pilot program will provide 
the project team with the carrier's contact information and 
demographic data.
     Each participating driver will need to complete a 
driver background information form and sign an informed consent 
form, which the motor carrier will submit on the driver's behalf. 
This is a one-time task for each driver.
     On a monthly basis, carriers will submit data on driver 
activity (e.g., duty hours, driving hours, off-duty time, restart 
breaks), safety outcomes (e.g., crashes, violations, and safety-
critical events) and any additional supporting information (e.g., 
OBMS logs, investigative reports from previous crashes).
     Carriers will be required to notify FMCSA within 24 
hours of: Any injury or fatality crashes involving a participating 
driver, a participating driver receiving an alcohol-related citation 
(e.g., driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated), a 
participating driver choosing to leave the pilot program, a 
participating driver leaving the carrier, or a participating driver 
failing a random or post-crash drug/alcohol test.

    This pilot limits the definition of CMVs to large trucks and does 
not include passenger-carrying vehicles, such as buses. The pilot also 
excludes trucks in special configurations or involved in the transport 
of hazardous materials.

[[Page 60952]]

III. Paperwork Reduction Act

    The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520) 
prohibits agencies from conducting information collection (IC) 
activities until they analyze the need for the collection of 
information and how the collected data will be managed. Agencies must 
also analyze whether technology could be used to reduce the burden 
imposed on those providing the data. The Agency must estimate the time 
burden required to respond to the IC requirements, such as the time 
required to complete a particular form. The Agency submits its IC 
analysis and burden estimate to OMB as a formal ICR; the Agency cannot 
conduct the information collection until OMB approves the ICR.

IV. Summary of Public Comments Received

    A Federal Register notice (83 FR 31631) was published on July 6, 
2018, which requested comments on this proposed information collection 
request. The comment period was open for 60-days and closed on 
September 4, 2018. The notice received 37 comments, which are 
summarized here.
    Of the comments received, 17 were in support for the pilot program 
with an additional 3 comments in support of the pilot program given 
certain criteria were met. There were 14 commenters who opposed the 
pilot program, and 3 additional comments were neutral in their stance 
toward the pilot program.
    Commenters Supportive or Conditionally Supportive of the Pilot 
Program: There were 17 commenters who acknowledge their support of the 
pilot program, and an additional three commenters who acknowledged 
support of the pilot program given certain circumstances. Several of 
these comments felt this would be a good opportunity for young military 
personnel to form a career based on their military training. Several 
comments offered suggestions or considerations, which are detailed 
below.
    1. Consider the size and weight of the vehicle for which the 
military candidates are licensed to drive to avoid accepting candidates 
who were trained on or have experience with light military vehicles 
only. In other words, specify a type of vehicle requirement for 
military participants to be trained in and have experience on.
    FMCSA Response: A review of the vehicles used in each MOS was 
conducted and it is expected that the military driver will receive a 
CDL for a class of vehicles that is comparable with the knowledge and 
experience. The identified MOSs include 88M or 92F for the U.S. Army, 
E.O. for the U.S. Navy, 3531 for the U.S. Marine Corps, and 2T1, 2F0, 
or 3E2 for the U.S. Airforce.
    2. Consider having drivers pass an approved driver training program 
before participating in the pilot program.
    FMCSA Response: A comparison of the MOS training requirements 
against the Entry Level Driver Training curriculum requirements was 
completed and determined that military training programs often exceed 
the number of classroom and behind-the-wheel training hours that many/
most entry level drivers receive. The drivers in the covered group will 
need to have passed their military training in order to participate in 
the study.
    3. Consider excluding drivers from the control sample for the same 
reason(s) military personnel would be disqualified from participating 
(e.g., disqualifications, suspensions, or revocations in the past three 
years) and extend the requirement that covered drivers may not 
transport passengers or hazardous materials, or operate doubles or 
triples to the control group drivers as well.
    FMCSA Response: FMCSA does not feel control group drivers or 
current intrastate drivers should have disqualification standards other 
than the current FMCSA disqualification regulations found in CFR 49 
383.51, as they are otherwise eligible to drive currently. These 
drivers will not be receiving any exemptions from the current rules and 
regulations, so as long as they remain in compliance with FMCSA 
regulations they are eligible to operate a CMV and therefore should be 
eligible to participate in the pilot program. No drivers participating 
in the study will be allowed to transport passengers, hazardous cargo, 
or to operate a vehicle in special configurations, as specified in the 
FAST Act.
    4. Clarify what is meant by ``or be subject to any OOS order'' 
regarding control driver requirements.
    FMCSA Response: FMCSA will remove control drivers from the pilot 
program if they are subject to any out of service orders issued by the 
Agency.
    5. Specify that control drivers may not be former covered drivers 
who have aged out of the covered driver group.
    FMCSA Response: This is the intended study design, although 
continuing data on these drivers will be collected as possible to 
determine trends with individual drivers.
    6. Consider balancing the number of covered and control drivers 
from each carrier to minimize the effects of carrier differences in 
analysis.
    FMCSA Response: This was considered in the original study design; 
however, it was determined that this could be overly burdensome on 
small carriers and may deter them from participating; therefore, this 
is not a requirement for participation in the study.
    7. Consider increasing the size of the study groups and not setting 
a maximum number on carriers who can participate.
    FMCSA Response: The size of the groups has been estimated as a 
minimum required sample size to determine statistically valid results. 
FMCSA does not have a limit to the number of drivers or carriers that 
may participate.
    8. Consider widening the age range of the control study group to 
increase small carrier participation.
    FMCSA Response: The control study group age was originally proposed 
to be from 21 to 26 years old in the Federal Register Notice titled 
``Commercial Driver's Licenses; Proposed Pilot Program to Allow Persons 
Between the Ages of 18 and 21 with Military Driving Experience to 
Operate Commercial Motor Vehicles in Interstate Commerce,'' published 
on August 22, 2016 (81 FRN 56745). Based on comments received on this 
Federal Register Notice, FMCSA modified the control group age range to 
a smaller, younger control group that would be a better comparison to 
other new, young drivers.
    9. Ensure data is evaluated by an independent third party before 
being analyzed by the working group.
    FMCSA Response: The data and analysis performed for this study will 
be evaluated by at least three independent peer reviewers who have 
appropriate credentials prior to the working group reviewing the 
findings.
    10. Exercise caution when using CSA scores to determine motor 
carrier eligibility.
    FMCSA Response: FMCSA will use SMS percentiles in a fair manner to 
determine carrier eligibility; however, FMCSA has determined that 
evaluating SMS percentiles prior to carrier acceptance is necessary to 
ensure safety to both pilot program participants and the general 
motoring public.
    11. Consider collecting additional data, to include: Types of 
advanced vehicle safety technologies in use, types of vehicles being 
used by participating drivers, type of freight hauled, type of 
operating environment, as well as specific details about the type and 
duration of training the driver has

[[Page 60953]]

received, to include both pre-CDL and post-CDL training.
    FMCSA Response: FMCSA agrees that this information should be 
requested, and has updated data collection forms to reflect these 
items. However, FMCSA will not preclude a carrier from participation 
for not providing these details if other requirements are met.
    13. Consider a formal review process for motor carriers who 
temporarily fall out of compliance with the pilot program requirements 
and want to re-enter the program.
    FMCSA Response: Carriers who fall out of compliance with the pilot 
program requirements will be dealt with on an individual basis 
depending on several factors, including evaluating the severity of 
their lapse of compliance.
    14. Allow for carriers to report driver infractions (e.g., failure 
of a drug test, crashes, violations, etc.) in one business day as 
opposed to one 24-hour period.
    FMCSA Response: FMCSA does not agree that one business day is the 
correct time frame for reporting these infractions; however, FMCSA has 
clarified that they should be reported within one day of the carrier 
being informed of any of these infractions.
    Commenters Opposed to the Pilot Program: Of the 14 commenters who 
were against the pilot program, 13 comments were submitted by 
individuals, while one comment was submitted by the Advocates for 
Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates). Several commenters mentioned 
general knowledge that younger drivers tend to be less safe than older 
drivers. One commenter mentioned concern over the potential for younger 
drivers to be treated harshly by the industry, and several mentioned a 
lack of experience that would be concerning. Advocates additionally 
recommended requiring both the use of an Electronic Logging Device 
(ELD) and the use of an On-Board Monitoring System (OBMS).
    FMCSA Response: For those commenters who expressed concern due to 
immaturity and lack of experience of younger drivers, FMCSA reiterates 
that the pilot program will have stringent participation criteria which 
includes military training that exceeds most entry-level driver 
training programs as well as military experience operating a heavy 
vehicle that is comparable to a CMV. Participants must be trained in a 
specific MOS which have been selected as those most closely mirroring 
experience with CMVs. Drivers will be required to comply with current 
regulations regarding ELDs, and while most CMVs are equipped with OBMS 
systems, FMCSA's position is that requiring use of an OBMS would limit 
the ability of smaller carriers to apply for the program. In an effort 
to not bias the sample, OBMS data will be collected from participating 
drivers if the vehicle they operate is already equipped with that 
system; however, it is not a requirement for participation.
    Comments Neutral towards the Pilot Program: There were three 
commenters who did not voice whether they supported or opposed the 
pilot program. These comments included one voicing concern over the 
industry turning away these young drivers due to the difficult nature 
of the industry and its lifestyle (e.g., long periods away from home), 
a commenter raising the need for a lot of hands on training for anyone 
entering the industry, and one commenter who had questions and 
commentary regarding expanding the pilot program, current regulations, 
and the practices their carrier follows. This commenter also felt the 
current study design was too onerous for small carriers and geared more 
towards large carriers.
    FMCSA Response: These comments were not actionable with regard to 
this pilot program. The FAST Act specifies who should be included in 
the pilot program, and the military training offers extensive classroom 
and behind-the-wheel training prior to being certified in one of the 
relevant MOSs. Regarding the burden on small carriers, FMCSA has 
designed a study that is open to having all carriers (small, medium, 
and large) apply to the program, while still being able to meet the 
safety needs of this pilot program and collect enough data to conduct a 
statistically meaningful analysis. FMCSA has made several efforts to 
assist with reducing the burden on small carriers, such as not making 
OBMS data a requirement, and not requiring carriers to provide a driver 
for each group on a one-for-one basis.

    Issued under the authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.87 on: November 
20, 2018.
G. Kelly Regal,
Associate Administrator for Office of Research and Information 
Technology.
[FR Doc. 2018-25846 Filed 11-26-18; 8:45 am]
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