News

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a notice for comment today on draft revisions of the Medical Examiner’s Handbook.  Comments are due by September 30, 2022.  Here’s the notice:  2022-17592.pdf (govinfo.gov).  To access the draft Medical Examiner’s Handbook, go to the Docket, which you will find here:  https://www.regulations.gov/document/FMCSA-2022-0111-0002.

As you may have heard, last week the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced updated and streamlined COVID-19 guidance.  The press release announcing those updates can be found here:  https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0811-covid-guidance.html.

The CDC has also updated their Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning.  That updated guidance, which includes, but is not limited to, the removal of information about Test to Stay, can be found here:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-childcare-guidance.html

The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) has submitted an application to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requesting a five-year exemption for the ‘‘under-the-hood’’ CDL testing requirement.

Drivers issued a CDL pursuant to the requested exemption would be restricted to the intrastate operation of school buses only. FMCSA requests comments on this application by September 12, 2022 and the notice can be found here:  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-08-11/pdf/2022-17228.pdf.

Just a reminder that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) deadline for the Clean School Bus Program Grants is 11:59pmET on Friday, August 19.  EPA will be reviewing the applications and beginning the selection process in September and applicants will be notified of their selection status in October.

NHTSA Recall ID Number 22C002

Synopsis : Clek, Inc. (Clek) is recalling certain Olli booster seats, model number OL12U2 manufactured between January 20, 2020 and May 10, 2022, and Ozzi booster seats, model number OZ11U2, manufactured between March 1, 2020 and May 10, 2022. The installation diagram displaying the proper way to install the booster seat with a continuous-loop lap/shoulder belt is missing. As such, these child seats fails to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 213, "Child Restraint Systems." A missing installation label may result in an improperly installed child seat, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. Clek will mail owners a new label, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 25, 2022. Owners may contact Clek's customer service at 1-866-656-2462.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a Final Rule amending Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 141 (Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) as proposed in the September 17, 2019, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with respect to the sound requirements used in compliance tests for hybrid and electric vehicles. The agency has chosen not to adopt the remaining portions of the NPRM, including a proposal which would have allowed manufactures of hybrid and electric vehicles (HEVs) to install a number of driver-selectable pedestrian alert sounds in each HEV they manufacture. The driver-selectable alert sounds proposal is not being adopted because of a lack of supporting data.  This Final Rule is effective as of August 12, 2022.

The EPA has recently added the following Clean School Bus resources:

• Clean School Bus Program Flyer
• Several webinars on the Clean School Bus Program have been scheduled over the coming weeks.  All upcoming EPA Clean School Bus events can be found here:  https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/events-related-clean-school-bus-program.

On May 4, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an Advance Notice of Supplemental Proposed Rulemaking (ANSPRM) on speed limiters.  The notice requested public comment on questions related to the programming, adjustment, and maintenance of settings to engine control units as well as feedback on the applicability of the speed limiting rulemaking under consideration. Comments on this original notice were due on June 3 and it can be found here:     https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-05-04/pdf/2022-09443.pdf. 

Today, FMCSA issued a notice extending the comment period for this ANSPRM to July 18, 2022.  The extension can be found here:  2022-11490.pdf (govinfo.gov).

The online application is now open for EPA’s 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates. To help you prepare, EPA will host a webinar on Tuesday, May 24th at 1pmET to detail how to apply for the 2022 Zero-Emission and Clean School Bus Rebates. The priority applicant list and program guidance have also been posted.

The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program website has all the information you need:  School Bus Rebates: Clean School Bus Program | US EPA.

Here are some important dates to keep in mind:

If you are interested, please do the following:

• Register for the May 24th Webinar (pre-registration is required). Events Related to Clean School Bus Program | US EPA
• View the program guidance and a list of eligible/priority applicants.
• Review and begin the 2022 Clean School Bus Rebate Application process.
• Sign-up for the Clean School Bus News listserv to guarantee you receive regular program updates.
• Add cleanschoolbus@epa.gov to your email contacts to ensure our messages don’t go to your spam folder.
• Review the EPA Clean School Bus website to learn more about the program and the benefits of clean school buses.
• Email cleanschoolbus@epa.gov with any questions.

On April 27, 2016, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) entitled ‘‘State Inspection Programs for Passenger Carrier Vehicles’’. The ANPRM announced that FMCSA was considering a requirement that States establish a program for annual inspections of passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). FMCSA requested information from all interested parties that would enable the Agency to assess the risks associated with improperly maintained or improperly inspected passenger carrying CMVs. The ANPRM also sought public comments concerning the effectiveness of the current FMCSA annual inspection standards, and data on the potential costs and benefits of a Federal requirement for each State to implement a mandatory inspection program. In addition, FMCSA inquired about how the Agency might incentivize States to adopt such programs. The comment period closed on June 27, 2016, and after reviewing all the public comments, FMCSA determined there was not enough data and information available to support moving forward with a rulemaking action. As a result, on May 1, 2017, the Agency withdrew the ANPRM. On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was enacted, which directed FMCSA, to solicit additional comments on the ANPRM to determine if data and information now exist to support moving forward with a rulemaking.

FMCSA has now re-issued the withdrawn ANPRM and is asking for comments by June 9, 2022. The ANPRM can be viewed here: 2022-09657.pdf (govinfo.gov).