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News Digest DOT 96-14

Friday, October 10, 2014

BTS Releases Directive for 2015 Airline On-Time Reporting - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today issued its annual directive detailing the requirements for the reporting of airline on-time data for calendar year 2015. In 2015, BTS will receive reports from 14 airlines. Spirit Airlines will be required to report for the first time in 2015 while Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways will begin reporting jointly. American Airlines and US Airways will continue to report separately. Airlines with revenue of more than 1 percent of the total scheduled-service domestic passenger revenue for all airlines for the 12-months ending June 30, 2014, are required to report.

The directive also includes a list of 29 airports with 1 percent or more of the nation's total domestic scheduled-service passenger enplanements for the 12-months ending June 30, 2014, for which monthly on-time reports are required. The list is unchanged from 2014. Although all reporting airlines voluntarily report on all domestic airports they serve, these 29 airports are listed in the detailed airport tables of the Department’s Air Travel Consumer Report and on BTS’ major airport on-time rankings. For the complete list of carriers required to report data in 2015 and the airports for which reports are required, see Technical Directive 24.   Contact: Dave Smallen: 202-366-5568.

FMCSA’s Emergency Restriction Order to West Coast-Based Cargo Tank Trucking Company Upheld.  The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) emergency restriction order to National Distribution Services, Inc., USDOT No. 1736696, a west coast-based hazardous material carrier, has been upheld following an appeal by the company to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).  On May 6, 2014, a National Distribution cargo tank exploded while employees at the company’s Corona, Calif. facility were making repair welds on the cargo tank.  One worker was killed and another was seriously injured.  A subsequent investigation by FMCSA found that the cargo tank had not been cleaned and purged prior to starting the welded repair.  Investigators found numerous unauthorized welded repairs performed on National Distribution's hazardous material cargo tanks were not done in accordance with federal safety requirements.  On August 14, 2014, FMCSA served National Distribution with an emergency restriction order prohibiting the company from transporting hazardous materials in its entire fleet of cargo tanks.  FMCSA subsequently released some cargo tanks after National Distribution submitted documentation that the tanks had successfully passed required tests and inspections and certified to FMCSA that the tanks did not possess any post-manufacture welds.  The company has also been allowed to haul commodities that are not required to be transported in USDOT specification cargo tanks.  In September, National Distribution challenged FMCSA’s emergency restriction order.  The order was upheld by PHMSA’s Chief Safety Officer on October 3, 2014.  A copy is available here: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/National-Distribution-Oct-3-2014.  Contact:  Duane DeBruyne:  (202) 366-9999.

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DOT 96-14