The Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) is holding a Bus Leasing Roundtable Discussion on Monday, Oct. 31 at the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters in Washington, D.C. This is FMCSA’s first step toward revising the contentious Lease and Interchange of Vehicles: Motor Carriers of Passengers final rule issued in May 2015, which ABA petitioned the agency to reconsider.
WE NEED YOU!
The Roundtable discussion is specifically for FMCSA to hear from the motorcoach industry and others on the four issue areas the agency identified in the final rule as open for revision:
- Exclusion of “chartering” from the leasing requirements
- CMV requirements for the location of markings
- “24-hour” notification requirement when subcontracting
- “48-hour” emergency exception to lease execution when no passengers on the bus
The Roundtable discussion will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EST), Oct. 31 at the Department of Transportation Media Center – Oklahoma Room, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C.
The agenda for the event includes a short segment for passenger motor carriers to provide their perspective from 9:45-10:30 a.m. (EST), and ABA is coordinating with the United Motorcoach Association to schedule participants for this segment.
There is also an open discussion segment, from 1:00-2:25 p.m ( EST), and we strongly encourage members to participate in this segment and let your voices be heard in opposition to the final rule.
The FMCSA will be webcasting the event, so members can participate either in person OR via the internet, and can submit comments or questions for consideration during the event.
WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE DETAILS FROM FMCSA ON HOW TO PARTICIPATE VIA THE INTERNET - ABA WILL SEND AN ALERT WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE.
NOW IS THE TIME!
After the final rule was issued last year and ABA’s campaign to reconsider the rule was launched, FMCSA expressed dissatisfaction with the motorcoach industry for not providing detailed comments and not raising concerns with the rule proposal during the initial rulemaking process.
We must correct this oversight and educate FMCSA on our industry – the agency needs to hear from us. This Roundtable discussion is a key opportunity for the motorcoach industry to be heard on this final rule. Please get involved!
If you have any questions or need further information, contact ABA’s Government Affairs & Policy Vice President Suzanne Te Beau Rohde, Srohde@buses.org, 202-218-7224.