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

Kelly Regal
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
11 September 2019

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 11, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48001-48003]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-19650]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2019-0204]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Renewal 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 its 
review and approval and invites public comment. FMCSA requests approval 
to renew the ICR titled ``Unified Registration System, FMCSA 
Registration/Updates,'' OMB Control No. 2126-0051. This ICR applies to 
new registrants seeking initial operating authority from FMCSA. New 
registrants seeking operating authority must use online Form MCSA-1, 
accessible via the Unified Registration System (URS).

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before November 12, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Federal Docket 
Management System (FDMS) Docket Number FMCSA-2019-0204 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 Operations; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001 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, 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: 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 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 website. 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

[[Page 48002]]

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. Jeff Secrist, Office of 
Registration and Safety Information, Chief, Registration, Licensing, 
and Insurance Division, Department of Transportation, Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration, West Building 6th Floor, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-385-2367; email: 
jeff.secrist@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    FMCSA registers for-hire motor carriers of regulated commodities 
and of passengers, under 49 U.S.C. 13902(a); surface freight 
forwarders, under 49 U.S.C. 13903; property brokers, under 49 U.S.C. 
13904; and certain Mexico-domiciled motor carriers, under 49 U.S.C. 
13902(c). These motor carriers may conduct transportation services in 
the United States only if they are registered with FMCSA. Each 
registration is effective from the date specified and remains in effect 
for such period as the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) 
determines by regulations.
    The Final Rule titled ``Unified Registration System,'' (78 FR 
52608) dated August 23, 2013, implemented statutory provisions for an 
online registration system for entities that are subject to FMCSA's 
licensing, registration, and certification regulations. URS streamlines 
the registration process and serves as a clearinghouse and repository 
of information on motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, 
intermodal equipment providers (IEPs), hazardous materials safety 
permit (HMSP) applicants, and cargo tank facilities required to 
register with FMCSA. When developing URS, FMCSA planned that the OP-1 
series of forms (except for OP-1(MX)) would ultimately be folded into 
one overarching form (MCSA-1), which would be used by all motor 
carriers seeking authority.
    FMCSA began a phased rollout of URS in 2015. The first phase, which 
became effective on December 12, 2015, impacts only first-time 
applicants seeking an FMCSA-issued registration. FMCSA had planned 
subsequent rollout phases for existing registrants; however, there have 
been substantial delays, and subsequent phases have not been rolled out 
to date.
    On January 17, 2017, FMCSA issued a Final Rule titled ``Unified 
Registration System; Suspension of Effectiveness,'' which indefinitely 
suspended URS effectiveness dates for existing registrants only (82 FR 
5292). Pursuant to this Final Rule, FMCSA is still accepting forms OP-
1, OP-1(P), OP-1(FF), and OP-1(NNA) for existing registrants wishing to 
apply for additional authorities. Separately, FMCSA requires Form OP-
1(MX) for Mexico-domiciled carriers that wish to operate beyond the 
U.S. municipalities on the U.S.-Mexico border and their commercial 
zones.
    As described above, only first-time applicants seeking an FMCSA-
issued registration must apply for authority via URS, using Form MCSA-
1. Under URS, all forms described in the current ICR, except OP-1(MX), 
are folded into Form MCSA-1. Information collection activities 
associated with the OP-1 series of forms are covered under a different 
ICR, titled ``Licensing Applications for Motor Carrier Operating 
Authority,'' OMB Control No. 2126-0016.
    Form MCSA-1 requests information to identify the applicant, the 
nature and scope of its proposed operations, safety-related details, 
and information regarding the drivers and vehicles it plans to use in 
U.S. operations. FMCSA and the States use registration information 
collected via Form MCSA-1 to track motor carriers, freight forwarders, 
brokers, and other entities they regulate. Registering motor carriers 
is essential to being able to identify carriers so that their safety 
performance can be tracked and evaluated. The data make it possible to 
link individual trucks to the responsible motor carrier, thus 
implementing the mandate under 49 U.S.C. 31136(a)(1); that is, ensuring 
that CMVs are maintained and operated safely (see Attachment G). In 
general, registration information collected via Form MCSA-1 informs 
prioritization of the Agency's activities and aids in assessing and 
statistically analyzing the safety outcomes of those activities.
    The current information collection supports the DOT Strategic Goal 
of Safety. It streamlines registration processes and ensures that FMCSA 
can more efficiently track motor carriers, freight forwarders, brokers, 
and other entities regulated by the Agency.

Changes From Previous Estimates

    The previously approved version of this ICR included the following 
annualized burden estimates: 627,264 respondents; 205,412 burden hours; 
and $6,066,345 in labor costs. Overall Federal Government costs 
associated with the previous iteration of this ICR were estimated to be 
$52,000,000, including staff, IT, and overhead costs.
    The current ICR includes the following annualized estimates: 51,875 
respondents; 112,396 burden hours; $4,758,447.58 in labor costs. 
Overall Federal Government costs associated with the current iteration 
of this ICR are $5,718,240.32, including labor costs and IT support.
    As can be seen, there have been significant decreases in the number 
of respondents, while labor costs to the industry have decreased 
approximately 22 percent, and costs to the Government have decreased 
dramatically, by over $45,000,000. Burden hour estimates have also 
decreased, but not as substantially as the estimated number of 
respondents. There are several reasons for these changes.
    First, the original iteration of this ICR included costs associated 
with the development, roll-out, and implementation of URS. Those costs 
are not reflected in this ICR. Instead, estimated costs for ongoing IT 
maintenance and support of the existing system are included.
    Next, FMCSA has experienced delays in rolling out Phase II of URS 
(which applies to existing registrants) and has indefinitely suspended 
the effective date of URS requirements for such entities. In the 
original iteration of this ICR, it was expected that all entities 
subject to FMCSA licensing and registration requirements would apply 
for additional authorities and submit biennial update information via 
URS. However, due to delays in rolling out Phase II of URS, existing 
registrants must still use the OP-1 series of forms to apply for 
additional authorities and the MCS-150 to submit their biennial 
updates. FMCSA is assuming that this will be the case for the 3-year 
period covered by this ICR. This has resulted in a decrease in the 
number of annual responses.
    While the estimated number of annual responses has decreased by 
nearly 92 percent, burden hours have only decreased by about 45 
percent. This is explained by an increased estimate of the amount of 
time it takes a motor carrier to complete Form MCSA-1. In the 
previously approved ICR, FMCSA estimated that it would take 1.34 hours; 
however, after observing URS activities for the past three years, the 
Agency estimates that it takes closer to 2 hours and 10 minutes for an 
applicant to fill out the form. Thus, the estimated burden hours for 
each respondent have increased over prior years.
    Finally, the changes in labor cost to the industry reflect a change 
in the methodology used to estimate hourly wages for carrier compliance 
officers,

[[Page 48003]]

which resulted in an increase in hourly wage of $13.06 per hour.
    Title: Unified Registration System, FMCSA Registration Updates.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-0051.
    Type of Request: Renewal of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Carrier compliance officer or equivalent from 
transportation entities subject to FMCSA's licensing, registration and 
certification regulations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 155,625 (51,875 annualized).
    Estimated Time per Response: 2 hours and 10 minutes.
    Expiration Date: January 31, 2020.
    Frequency of Response: One-time information collection.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 337,188 hours total (112,396 
annualized).
    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 under the authority of 49 CFR 1.87 on: September 5, 2019.
Kelly Regal,
Associate Administrator for Office of Research and Information 
Technology.
[FR Doc. 2019-19650 Filed 9-10-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P