SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation and Request for Comments

FMCSA encourages you to participate by submitting comments and related materials.

Submitting Comments

If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this notice (FMCSA-2019-0106), the specific section of this document to which the comment applies, and provide reasons for suggestions or recommendations. You may submit online or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only one of these means. FMCSA recommends that you include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a phone number in your document so the Agency can contact you if it has questions about your submission.

To submit your comments online, go to www.regulations.gov and put the docket number, “FMCSA-2019-0106” in the “Keyword” box, and click “Search.” When the new screen appears, click on the “Submit a Formal Comment” button and type your comment into the text box in the following screen. Indicate whether you are submitting your comment as an individual or on behalf of a third party and then submit. If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8 1/2 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments by mail and would like to know that they reached the facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. FMCSA will consider all comments and material received during the comment period and may grant or deny this application based on your comments.

II. Legal Basis

FMCSA has authority under 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315 to grant exemptions from certain Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). FMCSA must publish a notice of each exemption request in the Federal Register (49 CFR 381.315(a)). The Agency must provide the public an opportunity to inspect the information relevant to the application, including any safety analyses that have been conducted. The Agency must also provide an opportunity for public comment on the request.

The Agency reviews safety analyses and public comments submitted, and determines whether granting the exemption would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved by the current regulation (49 CFR 381.305). The decision of the Agency must be published in the Federal Register (49 CFR 381.315(b)) with the reasons for denying or granting the application and, if granted, the name of the person or class of persons receiving the exemption, and the regulatory provision from which the exemption is granted. The notice must also specify the effective period (up to 5 years) and explain the terms and conditions of the exemption. The exemption may be renewed (49 CFR 381.300(b)). ( printed page 24593)

III. Request for Exemption

KRD seeks an exemption for approximately 320 drivers who operate CMVs to collect waste and recycling materials. These drivers routinely qualify for the short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1); however, occasionally they cannot complete their duty day within 12 hours. KRD seeks an exemption to allow its drivers to continue to qualify for the short-haul exception up to the 14th hour after coming on duty.

KRD states that ELDs delay and distract its drivers working to collect waste and recycling materials because they require excessive interaction. The exemption application states that, as a result of frequent stops to pick up trash, its drivers are required to interact with the ELD “hundreds if not thousands of times a day. KRD asserts that ELDs are not designed to accommodate operations such as theirs.

KRD notes that certain CMV drivers already operate up to 14 hours without forfeiting short-haul status such as those in the ready-mixed concrete industry [49 CFR 395.1(e)(1)(ii)(B)] or the asphalt-paving business [83 FR 3864, Jan. 26, 2018]. It asserts that KRD's operations are similar to these industries because its drivers spend a significant portion of their days conducting non-driving duties.

IV. Method To Ensure an Equivalent or Greater Level of Safety

KRD listed the following fatigue management programs and processes it would implement if the exemption were granted: Observation Program; Routeware DriveCam Video Event Recorder Program; and the KRD Fatigued Driver Process. Details of these plans are provided in KRD's application for exemption which is available for review in the docket for this notice. KRD is requesting a 5-year exemption

84 FR 24592