Upon resubmission, please ensure that costs to respondents are accurately reflected in the agency's burden inventory.
Since this information collection request was either inconsistent or lacking information, OMB is approving this collection for 1 year, rather than the full 36 months. If the deficiencies are not corrected, the information collection request will be disapproved or returned as improperly submitted upon next review.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
08/31/2010
36 Months From Approved
01/31/2010
30,145,699
0
27,431,557
3,707,346
0
3,294,676
0
0
0
The Hours of Service Act specifies the maximum hours and conditions of proper rest for employees engaged in one or more critical categories of work. FRA uses the information collected to both monitor compliance with and to enforce these safety regulations.
The burden for this information collection has increased by 412,670 hours. The increase in burden is due to statutory program changes (resulting from P.L. 110-432, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008) and adjustments. Program changes increased the burden by a total of 138,960 hours and adjustments increased the burden by 273,710 hours. A full detailed breakdown is provided in the answer to question 15 of the Supporting Justification.
The current inventory burden shows a total of 3,294,676 hours, while the present submission exhibits a total burden of 3,707,346 hours. Hence, there is an increase in burden of 412,670 hours.
Also, it should be noted that the cost for the annual reporting and recordkeeping burden has decreased by $100,000. This is an adjustment to reflect the fact that the initial costs (information technology or software costs) for the expenses incurred by railroads to keep the Hours of Duty Records  estimated at 12 million records  electronically have already been expended. The current inventory shows a cost of $111,000, while the revised submission exhibits a cost of $11,000. Hence, there is a decrease of $100,000.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.