Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors; Request for Nominations

Kelly Leone
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal Register
April 5, 2011

[Federal Register: April 5, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 65)]
[Notices]               
[Page 18826-18827]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05ap11-120]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2011-0091]

 
Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors; Request for 
Nominations

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

ACTION: Notice Requesting Nominations from among Chief Administrative 
Officers of State Agencies to the Board of Directors.

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SUMMARY: The FMCSA solicits nominations and applications for 
appointment to the Board of Directors of the Unified Carrier 
Registration Plan (UCR Plan) of interested persons to serve as 
representatives of chief administrative officers of State agencies 
responsible for overseeing the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement 
(UCR Agreement). The Agency will appoint four members from such State 
agencies, one from each of FMCSA's four service areas. As authorized by 
49 U.S.C. 14504a, the UCR Plan is responsible for the administration of 
the UCR Agreement. The UCR Agreement governs the registration and the 
collection and distribution of fees paid by for-hire and private motor 
carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies. The UCR 
Plan and Agreement replaced the Single State Registration System 
(SSRS), which was repealed as of January 1, 2008.

DATES: Nominations or expressions of interest for appointment to the 
Board of Directors must be received on or before April 20, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to this notice, identified by docket 
number FMCSA-2011-0091, by any of the following methods--Internet, 
facsimile, regular mail, or hand-delivery.
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) 
Web site at http://www.regulations.gov. The FDMS is the preferred 
method for submitting comments, and we urge you to use it. In the 
``Comment'' or ``Submission'' section, type Docket ID Number ``FMCSA--
2011-0091'', select ``Go'', and then click on ``Send a Comment or 
Submission.'' You will receive a tracking number when you submit a 
comment.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail, Courier, or Hand-Deliver: U.S. Department of Transportation, 
Docket Operations (M-30), West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.
    Docket: Comments and material received from the public, as well as 
background information and documents mentioned in this preamble, are 
part of docket FMCSA--2011-0091, and are available for inspection and 
copying on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. You may also 
view and copy documents at the U.S. Department of Transportation's 
Docket Operations Unit, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC.
    Privacy Act: All comments will be posted without change including 
any personal information provided to the FDMS at http://
www.regulations.gov. Anyone can search the electronic form of all our 
dockets in FDMS, by the name of the individual submitting the comment 
(or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). The Department of Transportation's (DOT) 
complete Privacy Act Systems of Records notice was published in the 
Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19476), and can be viewed at 
http: //docketsinfo.dot.gov. Comments received after the comment 
closing date will be included in the docket, and we will consider late 
comments to the extent practicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jose M. Rodriguez, Office of 
Research and Information Technology, (202) 366-3517, FMCSA, Department 
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590 or 
by e-mail at: jose.rodriguez@dot.gov@dot.gov.

Background

    Section 4305(b) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) [Pub. L. 
109-59, 119 Stat. 1144, August 10, 2005] enacted 49 U.S.C. 14504a 
entitled ``Unified carrier registration system plan and agreement.'' 
Under the UCR Agreement, motor carriers, motor private carriers, 
brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies that are involved in 
interstate transportation register and pay certain fees. The UCR Plan's 
Board of Directors must issue rules and regulations to govern the UCR 
Agreement. Section 14504a(a)(9) defines the Unified Carrier 
Registration Plan as the organization of State, Federal, and industry 
representatives responsible for developing, implementing, and 
administering the UCRA. Section 14504a(d)(1)(B) directed the Secretary 
to establish a Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors 
made up of 15

[[Page 18827]]

members from FMCSA, State governments, and the motor carrier industry. 
The Board also must recommend initial annual fees to be assessed 
against carriers, leasing companies, brokers, and freight forwarders 
under the UCRA, as well as any annual adjustments to those fees. 
Section 14504a(d)(1)(B) provides that the UCR Plan's Board of Directors 
must consist of directors from the following groups:
    Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: One director must be 
selected from each of the FMCSA service areas (as defined by FMCSA on 
January 1, 2005) from among the chief administrative officers of the 
State agencies responsible for administering the UCRA.
    State Agencies: The five directors selected to represent State 
agencies must be from among the professional staffs of State agencies 
responsible for overseeing the administration of the UCR Agreement.
    Motor Carrier Industry: Five directors must be from the motor 
carrier industry. At least one of the five motor carrier industry 
directors must be from ``a national trade association representing the 
general motor carrier of property industry'' and one of them must be 
from ``a motor carrier that falls within the smallest fleet fee 
bracket.''
    U.S. Department of Transportation (the Department): One individual, 
either the FMCSA Deputy Administrator or such other Presidential 
appointee from the Department appointed by the Secretary, represents 
the Department.
    The establishment of the Board was announced in the Federal 
Register on May 12, 2006 (71 FR 27777). In that notice, the Agency 
recognized the American Trucking Associations, Inc. (ATA) as the 
national trade association representing the general motor carrier of 
property industry. ATA is a national affiliation of State trucking 
organizations representing the national, State and local interests of 
the 50 affiliated State trucking associations; and the interests of 
specialized areas of the trucking industry through conferences and 
councils. The Agency selected the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers 
Association (OOIDA) as the organization from which to appoint an 
individual to represent motor carriers comprising the smallest fleet 
fee bracket. OOIDA is a national trade association representing the 
interests of small trucking companies and drivers.
    Each of the four current directors from the chief administrative 
officers of the State agencies responsible for overseeing the 
administration of the UCR Agreement are serving terms that expire on 
May 31, 2011. These directors may continue to serve until their 
replacements are appointed; each of them may be reappointed (49 U.S.C. 
14504a(d)(1)(D)(iii) and (iv)). Today's publication serves as a notice 
requesting nominations for and public comment on possible appointment 
of the four members of the UCR Plan's Board of Directors to be 
appointed from the chief administrative officers of the responsible 
State agencies in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 14504a(d).

Board Member Nominations

    FMCSA seeks either nominations of, or expressions of interest from, 
individuals to serve as members of the board of directors for the UCR 
Plan from the responsible State agencies. Nominations or expressions of 
interest should indicate that the person nominated or recommended meets 
the statutory requirements specified in 49 U.S.C. 14504a(d)(1)(B)(i). 
Nominations or expressions of interest must be transmitted by means of 
the procedures for comments specified earlier in this notice. FMCSA and 
the Department will make the appointments for the four members from the 
responsible State agencies for three-year terms, expiring on May 31, 
2014.

    Issued on: March 25, 2011.
Kelly Leone,
Associate Administrator, Research and Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2011-7957 Filed 4-4-11; 8:45 am]
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