Transportation of Household
Goods; Consumer Protection
Revision of a currently approved collection
No
Regular
05/12/2022
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
11/30/2022
4,915,383
6,034,891
3,708,095
4,282,171
3,023,737
161,440,597
The collections in this ICR are
mandatory and consists mostly of recordkeeping and disclosure,
where a motor carrier provides information when a consumer requests
that a mover provide an estimate and when a consumer decides to
have a particular mover transport household goods. Certain
information will be transferred to the consumer for the consumer to
educate himself/herself of his/her rights and responsibilities in
commercial transactions with the mover. This is a revision to the
ICR due to a final rule. FMCSA updates the regulations at 49 CFR
371 and 375 in a final rule titled “Implementation of Household
Goods Working Group Recommendations” (87 FR 24431). The final rule
makes various changes to the household goods regulations that the
Household Goods Consumer Protection Working Group recommended to
FMCSA. These proposed changes include further revisions to
streamline FMCSA’s publication “Your Rights and Responsibilities
When You Move” which would be incorporated in appendix A of the
regulations, requiring “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You
Move” to be provided along with the estimate, requiring new binding
or non-binding estimates when an individual shipper tenders more
goods or requests additional service instead of a revised estimate,
allowing a motor carrier to provide a virtual survey and removing
the 50-mile radius for when a survey is required, removing the
requirement for an order for service and incorporating that
document into the bill of lading, and other minor updates to
increase the clarity of the regulations. These proposed changes are
intended to reduce the paperwork burden on household goods motor
carriers and reduce confusion for individual shippers. FMCSA will
use the information provided by the shippers, when necessary, while
conducting reviews, audits and investigations of carriers to
determine if a carrier/mover is in compliance with the Federal
requirements. If this collected information were not available,
FMCSA would have no means of independently verifying compliance.
The collected information will assist consumers in their commercial
dealings with interstate motor carriers by enabling them to receive
consumer protection materials electronically. FMCSA will use the
information provided by the shippers, when necessary, while
conducting reviews, audits and investigations of carriers to
determine if a carrier/mover is in compliance with the Federal
requirements. If this collected information were not available,
FMCSA will have no means of independently verifying compliance. The
frequency of the collection varies and is based on the number of
moves and requests made, based on shippers needs, and is not a
factor FMCSA or the carrier can control. The information is not
collected more frequently than quarterly since the data is required
only when services are requested by the consumer. This is to help
the consumer understand each part of the commercial transaction and
determine whether they are being defrauded or deceived by a mover.
This supporting statement divides the burden into five collections
roughly corresponding to the subsections in the HHG regulations in
which the specific paperwork and record keeping requirements for
HHG movers appear: • IC-1: Required Information for Prospective
Individual Shippers • IC-2: Estimating Charges • IC-3: Pick Up of
Shipments of Household Goods • IC-4: Transportation of Shipments •
IC-5: Consumer Complaints
This revision includes the
following program adjustments due to the lower estimates of HHG
carriers, for-hire interstate moves, and the number of new entrant
HHG carriers, as well as the changes in the final rule, as stated
below. For IC1: - Increase of 6,986 hours is a result of the Rights
and Responsibilities booklet being delivered with every estimate,
due to the final rule; - Increase of 1,277 hours is a result of
various program adjustments; For IC2: - Increase of 41,923 is a
result of virtual surveys being conducted for moves beyond 50
miles, due to the final rule; - Decrease of 282,683 hours is a
result of the decreased estimate of for-hire moves completed in a
given year; For IC3: - Decrease of 279,426 hours is a result of the
removal of the Order for Service requirement, due to the final
rule; - Decrease of 59,510 hours is a result of the decreased
estimate of for-hire moves completed in a given year; For IC4: -
Decrease of 1,662 hours is a result of the decreased estimate of
for-hire moves completed in a given year; For IC5: - Overall
decrease of 981 hours is due to a decrease in the hours to
establish record systems and the decreased estimate of for-hire
moves completed in a given year. There a total of 230,517 burden
hours decrease due to the final rule and a total of 343,559 burden
hours decrease due to a change in agency estimate. This is a total
decrease of 574,076 burden hours. The annual number of responses
decreased by 1,119,508 due to an adjustment in agency estimate. The
adjustments to the annual number of responses, burden hours, and
costs to respondents are primarily due to re-estimates of the
number of carriers affected by the ICR (from 4,212 to 5,100) and
the number of annual shipments (from 617,503 to 558,851). The
annual burden hours overall decrease is (582,339 – 8,263) = 574,076
burden hours due to: - An increase of 8,263 (1,277 + 6,986) due to
increase in the burden hours associated with IC-1; and - A decrease
of 582,339 (-282,683 - 279,426 + 41,923 - 59,510 - 1,662 -981) due
to burden hours associated with IC-2, IC-3, IC-4, and IC-5. The
total non-labor capital costs due to the final rule is $1,592,726
which is due to an increase of $1,676,554 (for IC-1) as a result of
the Rights and Responsibilities booklet being delivered with every
estimate; and a decrease of $83,828 (for IC-3) as a result of the
removal of the Order for Service requirement. There is an annual
burden hour cost decrease of ($161,440,597 - $159,696,479) =
$1,744,118.
$0
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Monique Riddick 202
366-8045
No
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.
2126-0025 HHG final rule Supporting Statement 04.26.22.docx
75 FR 72987.pdf
US CODE_ Title 49,14104. Household goods carrier operations.html
IC1 - Informational Documents Provided to Prospective Shippers