Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC); Public Meeting

Larry W. Minor
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
26 May 2017

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 101 (Friday, May 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24437-24438]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10761]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2006-26367]


Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC); Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of advisory committee meeting.

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SUMMARY: FMCSA announces that its MCSAC will meet on Monday and 
Tuesday, June 12-13, 2017, to provide recommendations to the Agency 
concerning: Highly automated commercial vehicles (HACVs), the 
development of the Agency's fiscal year (FY) 2018-2022 strategic plan, 
and the review of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) 
to identify potential opportunities to reduce regulatory burdens while 
ensuring that Federal safety programs continue to achieve safety 
outcomes. The meeting is open to the public for its entirety.

DATES: The meeting will be held Monday-Tuesday, June 12-13, 2017, from 
9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), at the U.S. 
Department of Transportation Headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. Members of the public planning to attend should 
email FMCSA at the contact information listed below by June 7, 2017. 
Members of the MCSAC and the public should arrive at 8:45 a.m. to 
facilitate clearance through DOT security. Copies of the MCSAC Task 
Statement and an agenda for the entire meeting will be made available 
in advance of the meeting at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mcsac.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Shannon L. Watson, Senior Advisor 
to the Associate Administrator for Policy, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, (202) 385-2395, mcsac@dot.gov.
    Services for Individuals with Disabilities: For information on 
facilities or services for individuals with disabilities or to request 
special assistance at the meeting, contact Mr. Eran Segev at (617) 494-
3174 or eran.segev@dot.gov, by Wednesday, June 7, 2017.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

MCSAC

    MCSAC was established to provide FMCSA with advice and 
recommendations on motor carrier safety programs and motor carrier 
safety regulations. MCSAC is composed of 20 voting representatives from 
safety advocacy, safety enforcement, labor, and industry stakeholders 
of motor carrier safety. The diversity of the Committee ensures the 
requisite range of views and expertise necessary to discharge its 
responsibilities. The Committee operates as a discretionary committee 
under the authority of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 
established in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 2. See FMCSA's MCSAC 
Web site for additional information about the committee's activities at 
http://fmcsa.dot.gov/mcsac.

Task 17-1: Highly Automated Commercial Vehicles

    Highly automated commercial vehicles (HACVs) are those in which the 
vehicle can take full control of the driving tasks in at least some 
circumstances. HACVs hold enormous potential benefits for safety, 
mobility, and sustainability.
    In January 2014, SAE International (SAE) published Standard J3016, 
``Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to On-Road Motor Vehicle 
Automated Driving Systems'' to simplify communication and facilitate 
collaboration within the technical and policy communities for automated 
driving. The Standard defines more than a dozen key terms and provides 
full descriptions and examples for each of six levels of driving 
automation. The SAE definitions divide vehicles into levels based on 
``who does what, when.'' Generally:
     At SAE Level 0, the human driver does everything.
     At SAE Level 1, an automated system on the vehicle can 
sometimes assist the human driver conduct some parts of the driving 
task.
     At SAE Level 2, an automated system on the vehicle can 
actually conduct some parts of the driving task, while the human 
continues to monitor the driving environment and performs the rest of 
the driving task.
     At SAE Level 3, an automated system can both actually 
conduct some parts of the driving task and monitor the driving 
environment in some instances, but the human driver must be ready to 
take back control when the automated system requests.
     At SAE Level 4, an automated system can conduct the 
driving task and monitor the driving environment, and the human need 
not take back control, but the automated system can operate only in 
certain environments and under certain conditions.
     At SAE Level 5, the automated system can perform all 
driving tasks, under all conditions that a human driver could perform 
them.
    Using the SAE levels described above, there is a distinction 
between Levels 0-2 and 3-5 based on whether the human operator or the 
automated system is primarily responsible for monitoring the driving 
environment. The term ``highly automated vehicle'' represents SAE 
Levels 3-5 vehicles with automated systems that are responsible for 
monitoring the driving environment.
    Public discussions regarding HACVs have become much more prominent 
in recent months as developers continue efforts to demonstrate and test 
the viability of advanced driver assistance systems on large commercial 
vehicles. FMCSA encourages the development of these advanced safety 
technologies for use on commercial vehicles and, at the same time, 
recognizes the need to ensure that testing and operation of these 
advanced safety systems is conducted in a manner that ensures the 
highest level of safety for everyone involved--and most importantly, 
for the motoring public.

[[Page 24438]]

    Sections 390.17 and 393.3 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Regulations (49 CFR parts 350-399) permit the use of additional 
equipment and accessories on CMVs beyond those which are minimally 
required by the regulations, provided that such equipment and 
accessories do not decrease the safety of operation of the CMVs on 
which they are used. While advanced driver assistance systems such as 
automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, forward collision 
warning, and others are not currently required to be used on CMVs, the 
use of such systems is permitted provided they do not impair the 
effectiveness of the required safety systems.
    In anticipation of the continued development of HACVs, FMCSA 
requests that the MCSAC provide recommendations concerning the issues 
FMCSA should consider to ensure that the Federal safety regulations 
provide appropriate standards for the safe operation of HACVs from 
design and development, through testing and deployment. Specifically, 
the MCSAC would consider the application of the following regulatory 
provisions in title 49 CFR to HACV operations: Part 383 (Commercial 
Driver's Licenses); part 391 (Qualifications of Drivers); sections 
392.80 and 392.82 (use of electronic devices); part 395 (Hours of 
Service of Drivers); and part 396 (Inspection, Repair, and 
Maintenance).
    Because the FMCSRs include certain requirements that could be 
considered an obstacle to the on-road testing of HACVs, the operation 
of some HACVs on a public roadway without a person in the driver seat 
may occur only after some form of regulatory relief has been granted by 
FMCSA.
    A pilot program is a formal project established by FMCSA in 
accordance with 49 CFR part 381 to test the effectiveness of certain 
safety strategies or technologies, using a group of carriers and/or 
drivers. A pilot program includes relief from specified regulations 
during the life of the pilot program, up to 3 years, to allow testing 
of alternatives. The safety measures in the pilot program must be 
designed to achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to or greater 
than the level of safety that would be obtained by complying with the 
regulations. Part 381 includes formal requirements for a pilot program.
    An exemption is temporary relief from one or more provisions of the 
FMCSRs granted to a person or class of persons subject to the 
regulations, or who intend to engage in an activity that would make 
them subject to the regulations. An exemption may be granted for up to 
5 years, and may be renewed. The exemption application must explain how 
the entity would achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to or 
greater than the level of safety that would be obtained by complying 
with the regulation. The formal requirements for a temporary exemption 
can also be found in part 381 of the FMCSRs.
    FMCSA tasks the MCSAC with providing recommendations regarding 
prospective requirements for manufacturers or other entities requesting 
a pilot program and/or a temporary exemption to operate an HACV without 
a person in the driver's seat on a public roadway.

Task 17-2: 2018-2022 Strategic Plan

    FMCSA is preparing to draft a new strategic plan to be released in 
2018. The new strategic plan will provide a high-level overview of our 
mission, vision, strategic goals and outlook for FY2018-2022 based on 
Department's goals for the next several years. The MCSAC will be tasked 
with providing feedback on the current FMCSA strategic goals and 
objectives, and providing recommendations for additional goals, 
objectives, programs, and initiatives that the members believe should 
be highlighted in the next strategic plan.

Task 17-3: Regulatory Review

    FMCSA has tasked the MCSAC with providing recommendations to the 
Agency concerning implementation of Executive Order 13777, ``Enforcing 
the Regulatory Reform Agenda.'' (82 FR 12285, March 1, 2017). The 
Agency requests that the MCSAC identify regulations that it believes to 
be (1) outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective or (2) impose costs that 
exceed benefits. The MCSAC's recommendations would be based on the 
members' understanding of the regulatory requirements, how the rules 
have been implemented by the industry and enforcement officials, and 
crash, injury, and fatality data. FMCSA will provide technical 
assistance to the MCSAC members, as needed.

II. Meeting Participation

    Oral comments from the public will be heard throughout the meeting, 
at the discretion of the MCSAC chairman. Members of the public may 
submit written comments on the topics to be considered during the 
meeting by Wednesday, June 7, 2016, to Federal Docket Management System 
(FDMC) Docket Number FMCSA-2006-26367 using any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, Washington, 
DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 
9 a.m. and 5 p.m., E.T. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

    Issued on: May 22, 2017.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2017-10761 Filed 5-25-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P