Update on Relevant U.S. Regulations

PHMSA Publishes Updates on Special Permits
On March 18, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published updates on special permit applications:

• List of Applications for Special Permits – Comments are due by April 17.
• List of Applications for Modification of Special Permits – Comments are due by April 2.
• Notice of Actions on Special Permit Applications – Comments are due by April 17.

FMCSA Requests Comments on Crash Causal Factors Program: Knowledge of Systems and Processes ICR
On March 17, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requested comments on the Crash Causal Factors Program: Knowledge of Systems and Processes information collection request (ICR) which relates to FMCSA’s Study of Commercial Motor Vehicle Crash Causation. The ICR covers the Medium-Duty Truck Study component, which will focus on crashes involving medium-duty (classes 3 through 6) trucks. Comments are due by May 18.

NHTSA Denies DCNA Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
On March 16, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denied the petition for decision of inconsequential noncompliance from Daimler Coaches North America LLC (DCNA) which determined that certain model year (MY) 2012-2019 Setra S407 and MY 2009-2020 Setra S417 buses do not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 101, Controls and Displays.

NHTSA Requests Comments on NPRM to Update FMVSS No. 102
On March 16, NHTSA requested comments on the NPRM to update FMVSS No. 102, Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock and Transmission Braking Effect, to except vehicles equipped with ADS that do not have manually operated driving controls from the requirement for a transmission shift position display. Comments are due by April 15.

NHTSA Requests Comments on NPRM to Update FMVSS No. 103 and 104
On March 16, NHTSA requested comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to update FMVSS No. 103, Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems, and FMVSS No. 104, Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems, to except vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS) that do not have manually operated driving controls from these standards. Comments are due by April 15.

PHMSA Announces Upcoming Research, Development and Technology Forum
On March 12, PHMSA announced the Office of Hazardous Materials (OHMS) will host its Research, Development and Technology Forum which will provide an opportunity for PHMSA-funded research projects to present the results of recently completed or ongoing projects. OHMS will discuss upcoming hazardous materials transportation research project plans and obtain stakeholder input on the direction of its current and future research projects. The public forum will take place from March 31 through April 2, and advanced registration is required.

Update on Exemptions

CVSA Active Exemption Tracker
CVSA maintains a list of active exemptions issued by FMCSA. The exemption tracker can be found at www.cvsa.org under the “Inspections” tab at the top of the page.