Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee Series of Public Subcommittee Meetings

Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee Series of Public Subcommittee Meetings
Topics: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee Series of Public Subcommittee Meetings
Larry W. Minor
Federal Register
June 29, 2011
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38268-38269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16271]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2006-26367]


Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee Series of Public 
Subcommittee Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: FMCSA announces that the Agency's Motor Carrier Safety 
Advisory Committee (MCSAC) will hold subcommittee meetings on Monday 
and Tuesday, July 11 and 12, 2011, and Monday and Tuesday, August 1 and 
2, 2011. The meetings will be open to the public for their duration. 
The subcommittee will discuss how electronic on-board recorder (EOBR) 
manufacturers could comply with the Agency's communications standards 
for the transmittal of data files from EOBRs to enforcement officials 
and related technical issues. This meeting is not a forum for a 
discussion of broader non-technical EOBR issues. The subcommittee's 
objective is to prepare a letter report and recommendations on the same 
for consideration by the full MCSAC, which, in turn, will provide 
recommendations to the Agency.

TIME AND DATES: Both meetings will be held on Monday and Tuesday, July 
11-12, 2011, and Monday and Tuesday, August 1 and 2, 2011, from noon on 
Monday to 5 p.m., Eastern Time (E.T.), and on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 5 
p.m., E.T. The July 11 and 12, 2011, meeting will be held at the Hilton 
Alexandria Old Town, 1767 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, in the 
Washington and Jefferson Rooms on the 2nd floor. The August 1 and 2, 
2011, meeting will be held at a location in the Washington, DC, area to 
be announced via posting on the MCSAC Web site (mcsac.fmcsa.dot.gov) in 
advance of the meeting.
    Matters To Be Considered: The subcommittee will consider ideas and 
concepts that EOBR manufacturers could use to achieve compliance with 
the Agency's communications standards for the transmittal of data files 
from EOBRs to enforcement officials. The subcommittee will be comprised 
of several MCSAC members and certain

[[Page 38269]]

subject matter experts invited to provide technical assistance to the 
full MCSAC on ideas and concepts that EOBR manufactures could use to 
achieve compliance with the Agency's communications standards for the 
transmittal of data files from EOBRs to enforcement officials and 
related technical issues.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Shannon L. Watson, Senior Adviser 
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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

MCSAC

    Section 4144 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) required the Secretary of 
Transportation to establish a Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee. 
The committee provides advice and recommendations to the FMCSA 
Administrator on motor carrier safety programs and regulations, and 
operates in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 
U.S.C. App 2).EOBRs
    On April 5, 2010 (75 FR 17208), FMCSA published a final rule that 
revised the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to incorporate new 
performance standards for EOBRs used to capture electronically drivers' 
duty status or hours of service (HOS). These devices will take the 
place of automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs), the subject of 
a 1988 rule that established the technical requirements under 49 CFR 
395.15.

MCSAC Subcommittee (EOBR Technical Issues)

    FMCSA has approved a subcommittee dedicated to EOBR technical 
issues. Specifically, FMCSA believes it would be helpful to have a 
MCSAC subcommittee work with subject matter experts to identify ideas 
and concepts that EOBR manufacturers could use to achieve compliance 
with communications portion of the April 2010 final rule. In the time 
since the final rule was published, stakeholders in the CMV safety 
enforcement and EOBR supplier communities have expressed concern that 
certain provisions of the technical specifications are not clear and 
that additional information or guidance may be needed so that 
manufacturers can deliver fully compliant devices to their motor 
carrier clients. The chairman of the MCSAC subcommittee is a member of 
the full MCSAC and has been duly appointed. As authorized by the MCSAC 
Charter and in order to bring a full range of expertise to the 
subcommittee, the subcommittee membership consists of both MCSAC 
members and non-MCSAC members. The subcommittee does not have 
independent authority and will submit all reports and recommendations 
to the full MCSAC, which, in turn, will provide recommendations to the 
Agency.

II. Meeting Participation

    The meeting will be open to the public for its duration. Public 
comments may be heard at 4:30 p.m. on each meeting day.
    You may submit written comments identified by Docket ID Number 
FMCSA-2006-26367 by July 12, 2011, for the July 11 meeting and by 
August 1, 2011, for the August 1 meeting using any of the following 
methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility: 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.
    Do not submit the same comment by more than one method. To allow 
effective public participation before the comment period deadline, 
FMCSA encourages use of the Web site listed above (Federal eRulemaking 
Portal: http://www.regulations.gov).

III. Services for Individuals With Disabilities

    For assistance with services for individuals with disabilities or 
to request special assistance, please send your request to the address 
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice, 
or e-mail your request to shannon.watson@dot.gov by Thursday, June 30 
for the July 11 meeting or Thursday, July 28 for the August 1 meeting.

    Issued on: June 23, 2011.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011-16271 Filed 6-28-11; 8:45 am]
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