60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval of Collection: Household Goods Movers' Disclosure Requirements Publication: Federal Register Agency: Surface Transportation Board Byline: Jeffrey Herzig Date: 7 August 2023 Subjects: American Government , Trucking

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 150 (Monday, August 7, 2023)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 52238-52239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16809]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval of 
Collection: Household Goods Movers' Disclosure Requirements

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) gives notice of its intent 
to seek approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an 
extension of the information collection (here, third-party 
disclosures), as described below.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
October 6, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, Surface Transportation 
Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001, or to PRA@stb.gov. 
When submitting comments, please refer to ``Paperwork Reduction Act 
Comments, Surface Transportation Board: Household Goods Movers' 
Disclosure Requirements.'' For further information regarding this 
collection, contact Michael Higgins, Deputy Director, Office of Public 
Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and Compliance, at (202) 245-0284 or 
michael.higgins@stb.gov. Assistance for the hearing impaired is 
available through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are requested concerning: (1) the 
accuracy of the Board's burden estimates; (2) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; (3) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on the 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology when

[[Page 52239]]

appropriate; and (4) whether the collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the Board, including 
whether the collection has practical utility. Submitted comments will 
be summarized and included in the Board's request for OMB approval.

Description of Collection

    Title: Household Goods Movers' Disclosure Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0027.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Household goods movers (HHG Movers) that desire to 
offer a rate limiting their liability on interstate moves to anything 
less than replacement value of the goods.
    Number of Respondents: 5,273 (approximate number of active 
household goods carriers in the United States according to the Federal 
Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)). See 2022 Pocket Guide to 
Large Truck and Bus Statistics (December 2022) section 1-7 Household 
Goods Carriers and Brokers Operating in the United States, 2017-2021.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 101 hours. Household goods movers provide 
prospective clients with a prescribed form estimating the charges for 
the anticipated move and providing various warnings and disclosures, 
including a disclosure of the availability of two levels of recovery 
for loss and damage incurred during the move. The Board's request for 
approval of the initial estimate form contained a cost analysis 
indicating that inclusion of the loss-and-damage information was a one-
time, start-up cost, and that an estimated 15 of the thousands of HHG 
Movers were large firms that print their own forms and that had already 
produced modified forms to meet the new requirement. The original 
request for approval also indicated that only a relatively small number 
of new entrants would have to create the required notice forms each 
year. Using 2022 Pocket Guide to Large Truck and Bus Statistics 
(section 1-7) to determine the latest three-year increase in the number 
of HHG Movers, Board staff estimates that there are approximately 202 
of these new carriers that have entered the business annually over the 
last three reported years. Each of these new entrants would require 
approximately one hour to review the released rate decision and to cut 
and paste the warnings/disclosures into a general electronic form, but 
only a portion of that time (about half) would be allotted to the 
Board's released rate disclosure requirement. Therefore, the Board 
estimates that the annual hourly burden for this collection is 101 
hours per year for the industry (202 responses annually x \1/2\ x 1 
hour = 101 burden hours).
    Total ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: HHG Movers may provide these forms 
to shippers electronically.
    Needs and Uses: In the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, section 4215, Public Law 
109-59, 119 Stat. 1144, 1760 (2005), Congress directed the Board to 
review consumer protection regulations concerning the loss or damage to 
property that occurs during interstate household goods moves. In Docket 
No. RR 999, the Board required household goods motor carriers and 
freight forwarders wishing to offer a rate limiting their liability on 
interstate moves to anything less than replacement value of the goods 
to provide their customers with clear written information concerning 
the two available cargo-liability options (a full replacement-value 
protection option and a lower, released-rate protection option). HHG 
Movers are required to provide this information on the standard written 
estimate form that the FMCSA requires HHG Movers to provide to their 
household goods moving customers. See 49 CFR 375.213. This information 
allows for early notice to household goods moving customers regarding 
the two liability options, as well as adequate time and information to 
help consumers decide which option to choose. If the customer elects 
anything other than full-value protection, the HHG Mover must inform 
the customer of their rights and obtain a signed waiver, as provided on 
the form. In doing so, this collection enables the Board to meet its 
statutory duty.
    Under the PRA, a Federal agency that conducts or sponsors a 
collection of information must display a currently valid OMB control 
number. A collection of information, which is defined in 44 U.S.C. 
3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c), includes agency requirements that persons 
submit reports, keep records, or provide information to the agency, 
third parties, or the public. Under 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), Federal 
agencies are required to provide, prior to an agency's submitting a 
collection to OMB for approval, a 60-day notice and comment period 
through publication in the Federal Register concerning each proposed 
collection of information, including each proposed extension of an 
existing collection of information.

    Dated: August 2, 2023.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2023-16809 Filed 8-4-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P