Waybill Sample Survey - supporting statement- 1-7-13

Supporting Statement for
Paperwork Reduction Act Submission
Waybill Compliance Survey
A. Justification
1. Need for Information
The Surface Transportation Board is, by statute, responsible for the economic regulation
of common carrier railroads operating in the United States. A carload waybill, which is a
document describing the characteristics of an individual rail shipment, identifies originating and
terminating freight stations, the names of line haul railroads participating in the movement, the
point of all railroad interchanges, the number of cars, the car types, the movement weight, and
the commodity. Under 49 C.F.R. Part 1244, a railroad is required to file carload waybill sample
information (Waybill Sample) for all line-haul revenue waybills terminating on its lines if, in any
of the three preceding years, it terminated 4500 or more carloads, or it terminated at least 5% of
the total revenue carloads that terminate in a particular state. The Waybill Sample is the Board’s
primary means of gathering information about freight rail shipments terminated in the United
States.

The Waybill Compliance Survey, for which approval is sought here, is required to be
filed by all railroads that terminate traffic in the United States but do not currently submit
Waybill Samples. The survey requirement, codified at 49 C.F.R. § 1244.2(f), enables the Board
to identify those railroads that should be submitting an annual Waybill Sample. In addition, the
Board collects information about a rail carrier’s total annual operating revenues, which helps the
Board determine whether other regulatory requirements may apply. The Board has authority to
collect this information under 49 U.S.C. § 11145.

2. Use of Data Collected
The Waybill Compliance Survey is used to determine whether a railroad meets the
criteria established at 49 C.F.R. § 1244 and ensures that the Board is collecting a Waybill
Sample from all railroads that are required to submit one. The information in the survey also
provides a measure of the total traffic covered by the Waybill Sample. The annual operating
revenue information is collected on a voluntary basis and helps the Board anticipate what other
regulatory provisions may apply to a particular carrier. A carrier’s total operating revenue often
determines whether a particular regulation will apply.

3. Reduction Through Improved Technology
The Board will accept filing by email and fax, and the Board will email the form to any
railroad that supplies its email address.
4. Identification of Duplication
This information is not duplicated by any other agency. The Board is the only source of
waybill information.
5. Minimizing Burden for Small Businesses
The survey does not require special record keeping and takes less than 0.5 hours to
complete.
6. Frequency Reduction Consequences
Our regulations require respondents to complete the Waybill Survey on an annual basis.
Less frequent submission of the survey might result in failure to identify a railroad that should be
required to submit a Waybill Sample for a particular year.
7. Special Circumstances
Not applicable.
8. Consultation Outside Agency
The Board provided a 60-day comment period regarding this extension of approval in 77
Fed. Reg. 27279 (May 9, 2012). In addition, a Federal Register notice seeking comments from
respondents is being published simultaneously with this submission.
9. Payment or Gift
No payment or gift is made in connection with this survey form.
10. Assurance of Confidentiality
All data pertaining to this form are open to public inspection.
11. Sensitive Information
This form does not collect sensitive information.

12. Estimated Burden Hours.

The Board estimates that 120 railroads will respond to this survey, and based on a survey
of responders, the Board estimates that it will take each respondent approximately one half hour
to complete and process the survey form, resulting in a total annual hourly burden of 60 hours.
13. Non-hourly Costs to Respondents
There are no non-hourly burdens for respondents. This form may be filed electronically.
14. Annualized Cost To the Federal Government
The Board estimates the annual cost of this collection to be $492 including $350 for the
administration of the collection by the contractor that also administers the waybill-sample
collection and the cost of two staff hours (GS-14-5 at $70.84 hourly wage, including benefits) to
review the annual operating-revenue data.
15. Explanation of Program Changes or Adjustments
There are not program changes or adjustments.
16. Publication of Data and/or Results
No data from this survey form will be published.

17. Display of Expiration date for OMB approval
Expiration date is displayed.
18. Exceptions to the Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions
Not applicable.

B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods
Not Applicable.