Marking of Commercial Motor Vehicles; Application for an Exemption Adirondak Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, and New York Trailways

Topics:  Adirondack Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, New York Trailways

Larry W. Minor
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
14 January 2020

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2229-2230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00403]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2020-0062]


Marking of Commercial Motor Vehicles; Application for an 
Exemption Adirondak Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, and New York 
Trailways

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) 
requests public comment on an application for exemption from Adirondack 
Transit Lines, Inc. (dba Adirondak Trailways), Pine Hill-Kingston Bus 
Corp. (dba Pine Hill Trailways), and Passenger Bus Corp. (dba New York 
Trailways). The commonly owned and controlled motor carriers have 
requested an exemption from FMCSA's commercial motor vehicle (CMV) 
marking rules under certain circumstances involving the exchange of 
equipment and/or drivers.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments bearing the Federal Docket 
Management System (FDMS) Docket ID FMCSA-2020-0062 using any of the 
following methods:
     Website: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on the Federal electronic docket 
site.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 
20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Ground Floor, Room W12-140, DOT Building, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
e.t., Monday-Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and 
docket number for this notice. 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 for further information.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or to Room W12-140, 
DOT Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., 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 www.regulations.gov, as described in the 
system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 
www.dot.gov/privacy.
    Public participation: The http://www.regulations.gov website is 
generally available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. You may find 
electronic submission and retrieval help and guidelines under the 
``help'' section of the http://www.regulations.gov website as well as 
the DOT's http://docketsinfo.dot.gov website. If you would like 
notification that we received your comments, please include a self-
addressed, stamped envelope or postcard or print the acknowledgment 
page that appears after submitting comments online.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. La Tonya Mimms, Chief of Driver 
and Carrier Operations Division; Office of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle 
Safety Standards; Telephone: 202-366-9220. Email: MCPSD@dot.gov. If you 
have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, contact 
Docket Services, telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

I. Legal Basis

    FMCSA has authority under 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315 to grant 
exemptions from certain parts of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Regulations (FMCSRs). FMCSA is required to publish notice of exemption 
requests in the Federal Register (49 U.S.C. 31315(b)(6)(A)). This 
notice seeks public comment on the request posted to the docket 
referred to above; the Agency takes no position on its merits. FMCSA 
will review the request and all comments submitted to the docket before 
deciding whether to grant or deny the exemption.

II. Application for Exemption

    Under 49 CFR 390.21, commercial motor vehicles must display the 
legal name or single trade name of the motor carrier operating the 
vehicle and the USDOT identification number assigned to that motor 
carrier. For motor carriers operating interchanged passenger-carrying 
vehicles, the requirements of section 390.21(b)(3) are satisfied if the 
vehicle is marked with a single placard, sign, or other device affixed 
to the right (curb) side of the vehicle on or near the front passenger 
door. The placard, sign, or device must display the legal name or a 
single trade name of the motor carrier operating the CMV and the motor 
carrier's USDOT number, preceded by the words ``Operated by.''
    Adirondack Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, and New York Trailways 
combined operate approximately 130 motorcoaches using approximately 124 
drivers in intercity bus service. The three commonly owned passenger 
services interchange buses and drivers frequently each year. 
Additionally, Adirondack Trailways is party to long-standing agreements 
for through service with various carriers and for revenue pooling with 
Greyhound Lines, Inc.
    The applicants explained that the frequency with which motorcoaches 
are involved in interchange arrangements

[[Page 2230]]

with the three Trailways carriers, Greyhound Lines, and other passenger 
carriers make it difficult to comply with section 390.21(b)(3). This is 
especially the case when the interchanges happen on short notice and in 
remote locations. Therefore, the companies are seeking an exemption 
from the CMV marking requirements in 49 CFR 390.21(b)(3). A copy of the 
application is included in the docket referenced at the beginning of 
this notice.

III. Request for Comments

    In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b)(6), FMCSA requests public 
comment from all interested persons on the Trailways application. All 
comments received before the close of business on the comment closing 
date indicated at the beginning of this notice will be considered and 
will be available for examination at the location listed under the 
Addresses section of this notice. Comments received after the comment 
closing date will be filed in the public docket and will be considered 
to the extent practicable. In addition to late comments, FMCSA will 
also continue to docket relevant information that becomes available 
after the comment closing date. Interested persons should continue to 
examine the public docket for new material.

    Issued on: January 8, 2020.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2020-00403 Filed 1-13-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P