Overview
Title
Agency Information Collection Activities; Renewal of an Approved Information Collection Request: Waiver and Exemption Requirements
Agencies
ELI5 AI
The FMCSA wants to keep doing something they already do, which is to check how much work it is for people when they ask for special permissions to skip some safety rules. They think people will ask more often, so it will take more time. No one said anything about it in the last two months when they asked for opinions.
Summary AI
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Part of the Department of Transportation, plans to renew an Information Collection Request (ICR) concerning waiver and exemption requirements. This is part of their effort to estimate the time and effort applicants must invest to comply with reporting requirements. A prior notice published on December 6, 2024, did not receive any public comments. The agency is increasing the estimated annual burden hours, citing a rise in expected applications, and invites further comments to assess the necessity and burden of this information collection by May 16, 2025.
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. FMCSA requests approval to renew the ICR titled "Waiver and Exemption Requirements." The ICR estimates the burden applicants incur to comply with the reporting tasks required for requesting waivers and exemptions. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published December 6, 2024, and the comment period ended February 4, 2025. There were no comments received in response to the 60-day Federal Register notice.
Keywords AI
Sources
AnalysisAI
The document entitled "Agency Information Collection Activities; Renewal of an Approved Information Collection Request: Waiver and Exemption Requirements," issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) under the Department of Transportation, outlines a plan to renew a previously approved Information Collection Request (ICR). The purpose of this request is to estimate the effort that individuals and motor carriers have to invest in order to comply with requirements for requesting waivers and exemptions.
General Summary
The FMCSA aims to continue its collection of information regarding waivers and exemptions by renewing the ICR, as authorized by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This renewal involves estimating the time and effort applicants spend on reporting tasks associated with seeking waivers and exemptions in motor carrier safety regulations. A Federal Register Notice was published in December 2024 to solicit public comments on the proposed collection of information, but no comments were received. The estimated annual burden is expected to increase from 97 hours to 119 hours due to an anticipated rise in applications over the next three years. The public is invited to comment on this notice by May 16, 2025.
Significant Issues or Concerns
There are several notable concerns in the document. First, the document does not specify any organizations or individuals that could be prioritized under this information collection, which is important for accountability and transparency. Additionally, the justification for the increase in estimated burden hours is not clearly explained, which may lead to ambiguity about the necessity of such an increase.
Furthermore, the document contains complex terminology such as "ICR," "OMB," and "TEA-21," which may not be immediately clear to all readers. Providing definitions or explanations for these terms could enhance understanding. The wide range for estimated response time (from 5 minutes to 2 hours) lacks detailed context about when different durations apply, which could confuse applicants.
Lastly, the fact that no comments were received during the initial 60-day comment period raises questions about the effectiveness of outreach efforts. It would be beneficial to know what, if any, measures will be taken to increase public participation and feedback.
Impact on the Public
Broadly, this document has implications for individuals and organizations involved in the transportation industry, particularly those needing waivers and exemptions from safety regulations. The public, and especially those directly impacted, may see this as an opportunity to ensure that their burdens are accurately represented and minimized.
Impact on Stakeholders
For specific stakeholders like motor carriers and State driver's licensing agencies, this renewed ICR could potentially increase administrative duties and costs due to the rise in estimated annual burden hours. While the increase may reflect a growing need or demand for such waivers and exemptions, stakeholders might view this change as an additional regulatory burden.
On the positive side, a structured and continually assessed process for applying waivers and exemptions may enhance safety standards. By involving the public to provide feedback, the FMCSA can improve the transparency and effectiveness of its regulations, potentially leading to safer outcomes in the transportation sector. However, without active public engagement, there's a risk of overlooking valuable perspectives that could improve the system.
Issues
• The document does not specify any particular organizations or individuals that might be favored, which could be important for transparency.
• The document mentions an increase in burden hours from 97 to 119 without providing explicit justification or detailed reasoning for this change, which could be seen as ambiguous.
• The phrase 'the terms and conditions for all waivers and exemptions likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to or greater than what would be achieved by complying with the safety regulations' could be made clearer regarding how this safety equivalence is assessed.
• The document assumes that the reader understands specific terms such as 'ICR', 'OMB', and 'TEA-21', and it might be beneficial to provide brief definitions or explanations for these terms for clarity.
• The range of '5 minutes to 2 hours' for estimated time per response is quite wide, and it might be useful to clarify under what circumstances different times within this range apply.
• The document states that there were no comments received during the 60-day comment period, but it does not address whether outreach efforts were effective or if any measures will be taken to solicit more feedback in the future.