Comments Sought on BTS Reporting

The federal government wants to know what trucking thinks of allowing some carriers to keep private information contained in reports filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

The agency said it has received about 25 requests for confidentiality from carriers.

Federal law requires for-hire trucking companies with annual revenue of $3 million or more to file yearly reports with BTS. Carriers with revenue of $10 million or more must also file quarterly reports.

The data is used by government agencies, motor carriers, shippers, industry analysts, labor unions, insurance companies, investment analysts and data vendors to assess the impact of trucking on the U.S. economy, measure the performance of the industry and monitor carrier safety and productivity, according to BTS.

A carrier can request the withholding of its report from public release by demonstrating it would suffer competitive harm or that the disclosure would result release trade secrets or other privileged information.

Statements by companies seeking exemptions can be viewed at the Department of Transportation offices in Washington, D.C., or through the Dockets Management System online at http://dms.dot.gov. The docket number is BTS-99 5889.

Comments are due by Oct. 4. For more information, call David Mednick, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh St. S.W., Washington, D.C., 20500, at 202-366-8871.