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Hours of Service of Drivers: National Propane Gas Association; Application for Exemption Publication: Federal Register Agency: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Byline: Larry W. Minor Date: 30 September 2022 Subjects: American Government  , Safety, Trucking
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 189 (Friday, September 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59486-59487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21242]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA-2022-0175]
Hours of Service of Drivers: National Propane Gas Association;
Application for Exemption
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: FMCSA announces that it has received an application from the
National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) for an exemption to waive
various hours-of-service (HOS) requirements to enable the propane
industry to prepare and respond to peak periods of consumer demand
among residential, agricultural, and commercial consumers in
anticipation of, during, and to recover from emergency conditions. NPGA
requests that the exemption apply on a per-driver, per-route basis, and
that each company that elects to utilize it must maintain appropriate
documentation to demonstrate the presence of peak consumer demand
conditions within the scope of the exemption. FMCSA requests public
comment on the applicant's request for exemption.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 31, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Federal Docket
Management System (FDMS) Number FMCSA-2022-0175 by any of the following
methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. See the
Public Participation and Request for Comments section below for further
information.
Mail: Dockets 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: West Building, Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
E.T., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Each submission must include the Agency name and the docket number
(FMCSA-2022-0175) for this notice. Note that DOT posts all comments
received without change to www.regulations.gov, including any personal
information included in a comment. Please see the Privacy heading
below.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
[[Page 59487]]
comments, go to www.regulations.gov at any time or visit Room W12-140
on the ground level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you,
please call (202) 366-9317 or (202) 366-9826 before visiting Dockets
Operations.
Privacy: In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b), DOT solicits
comments from the public to better inform its exemption 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
https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard Clemente, Driver and
Carrier Operations Division; Office of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle
Safety Standards, FMCSA, at (202) 366-2722 or by email at
MCPSD@dot.gov. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material
to the docket, contact Dockets Operations at (202) 366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Participation and Request for Comments
FMCSA encourages you to participate by submitting comments and
related materials.
Submitting Comments
If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this
notice (FMCSA-2022-0175), indicate the specific section of this
document to which the comment applies, and provide a reason for
suggestions or recommendations. You may submit your comments and
material online or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only
one of these means. FMCSA recommends that you include your name and a
mailing address, an email address, or a phone number in the body of
your document so the Agency can contact you if it has questions
regarding your submission.
To submit your comment online, go to www.regulations.gov and put
the docket number (``FMCSA-2022-0175'') in the ``Keyword'' box, and
click ``Search.'' When the new screen appears, click on the ``Comment
Now!'' button and type your comment into the text box in the following
screen. Choose whether you are submitting your comment as an individual
or on behalf of a third party and then submit. If you submit your
comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic
filing. If you submit comments by mail and would like to know that they
reached the facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard
or envelope. FMCSA will consider all comments and material received
during the comment period.
II. Legal Basis
FMCSA has authority under 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315(b) to grant
exemptions from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).
FMCSA must publish a notice of each exemption request in the Federal
Register (49 CFR 381.315(a)). The Agency must provide the public an
opportunity to inspect the information relevant to the application,
including any safety analyses that have been conducted. The Agency must
provide an opportunity for public comment on the request.
The Agency reviews safety analyses and public comments submitted
and determines whether granting the exemption would likely achieve a
level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be
achieved by the current regulation (49 CFR 381.305). The Agency must
publish its decision in the Federal Register (49 CFR 381.315(b)) with
the reasons for denying or granting the application and, if granted,
the name of the person or class of persons receiving the exemption and
the regulatory provision from which the exemption is granted. The
notice must specify the effective period and explain the terms and
conditions of the exemption. The exemption may be renewed (49 CFR
381.300(b)).
III. Applicant's Request
The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) requests a five-year
exemption for its member company drivers to extend the 14-hour duty
period in Sec. 395.3(a)(2) to no more than 17 hours; to extend the 11-
hour driving period in Sec. 395.3(a)(3) to no more than 14 hours,
following 10 consecutive hours off duty; to waive the 60- and 70-hour
rules in Sec. 395.3(b) for a period of no more than six consecutive
days; and a period of six consecutive days may end with the beginning
of an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours. The exemption
request is made in order to enable the propane industry to prepare and
respond to peak periods of consumer demand among residential,
agricultural, and commercial consumers.
NPGA is the national trade association of the propane industry with
a membership of nearly 2,500 companies and 36 State and regional
associations representing members in all 50 States. Their membership
includes retail marketers of propane gas who deliver the fuel to the
end user, propane producers, transporters and wholesalers, and
manufacturers and distributors of equipment, containers, and
appliances. NPGA's petition states that, as a result of various
consumer needs, long- and short-haul propane drivers often reach the
maximum operating hours-of-service (HOS) ``weekly'' limits within three
or four days, and subsequently, operations experience reductions in
available drivers while consumer demand continues. According to NPGA,
the purpose of their request is to efficiently and safely prepare and
serve residential, commercial, and agricultural consumers ahead of and
during peak consumption periods. To clearly define the ``scope'' in its
application, NPGA provides a brief outline of the terms and conditions
to apply to those individuals providing propane services for periods of
peak consumer demand.
A copy of NPGA's application for exemption is available for review
in the docket for this notice.
IV. Request for Comments
In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b), FMCSA requests public
comment from all interested persons on NPGA's application for an
exemption from various HOS requirements in 49 CFR 395.3 (a)--(c). 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 in the docket 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 file, in the public docket, relevant
information that becomes available after the comment closing date.
Interested persons should continue to examine the public docket for new
material.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2022-21242 Filed 9-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P