DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 381

[Docket No. FMCSA–2013–0097]

Physical Qualification of Drivers; Standards; Changes to Vision Exemption Program Criteria

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

ACTION: Proposed change to criteria; request for comments.

SUMMARY: FMCSA proposes changes to the eligibility requirements for the Agency’s Vision Exemption Program. Obtaining an exemption enables an individual to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce without satisfying all of the prescribed vision standards. The Agency has determined that these proposed changes in the eligibility criteria and conditions for the Vision Exemption Program will continue to ensure a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained under the existing criteria.

DATES: Send your comments on or before January 17, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FMCSA– 2013–0097 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 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. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and docket number. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional information, see the Public Participation heading below, as well as the Request for Information and Comments heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change to http:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.

Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to http:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets, or go to the street address listed above. Privacy Act: Anyone may search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or of the person signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Privacy Act Statement for the Federal Docket Management System published in the Federal Register on January17, 2008 (73 FR 3316), or you may visit http:// www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2008-01-17/ pdf/E8-785.pdf.

Public participation: The Federal eRulemaking Portal is generally available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. You can obtain electronic submission and retrieval help and guidelines under the ‘‘help’’ section of the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site. If you would like us to notify you that we received your comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard, or print the acknowledgement page that appears after submitting comments on-line. Comments received after the comment closing date will be included in the docket and we will consider late comments to the extent practicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Elaine Papp, (202) 366–4001, fmcsamedical@dot.gov, U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W64–224, Washington, DC 20590–0001. Business hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: