Revised 2017 Airline On-Time Reporting Directive Released - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today issued a revised annual directive detailing the requirements for the reporting of airline on-time data for calendar year 2017. In 2017, BTS will receive reports from 12 airlines. The previous version of the directive removed ExpressJet Airlines from the list of reporting carriers because its passenger revenue fell short of the mandated minimum. ExpressJet will continue to report following the airline’s submission of revised passenger revenue numbers for the fourth quarter of 2015. 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, 2016 ($904.8 million), are required to report.

The directive also includes a list of 30 airports with 1 percent or more of the nation's total domestic scheduled-service passenger enplanements for the 12-months ending June 30 , 2016 (7.1 million), for which monthly on-time reports are required.  Dallas Love Field has been added to the list for 2017. Although all reporting airlines voluntarily report on all domestic airports they serve, these 30 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 2017 and the airports for which reports are required, see Technical Directive 26. Contact: Dave Smallen: 202-366-5568, david.smallen@dot.gov.

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BTS Updates National Transportation Statistics - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today updated National Transportation Statistics (NTS) – a web-only reference guide to national-level transportation data. NTS, updated quarterly, includes a wide range of national transportation information. NTS consists of more than 260 tables of national data on the transportation system, safety, the economy and energy and the environment, of which 68 were updated today. The next quarterly update is scheduled for January 2017. NTS  contents are available on the BTS website.  Contact: Dave Smallen (202) 366-5568.

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DOT Calls for Innovative Research Proposals from Small Businesses.  The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) seeks innovative proposals from small businesses interested in conducting research needed by the Department’s agencies.  On October 19, 2016 DOT’s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center released the Fiscal Year 2017 solicitation for the DOT Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.  The solicitation contains a total of nine (9) research topic descriptions from five (5) DOT agencies: Federal Highway Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology for research topics across several areas, including broken rail detection, THC detection devices, and lithium-ion battery recycling.  A complete list of research topics can be found on the DOT’s SBIR website at http://www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir. The solicitation includes topic descriptions and funding levels and invites small businesses to submit research proposals on these topics no later than December 21, 2016. Contact Nancy Wilochka:  (202) 366-5128.

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FMCSA Issues Safety Advisory Related to the Transportation of the Recently Recalled Samsung Galaxy Note7 Smartphone or Other Damaged, Defective, Recalled Lithium Cells or Batteries or Portable Electronic Devices on a Commercial Motor Vehicle.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is issuing a safety advisory to provide notice and information to owner, operators and passengers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) of the risks and regulations associated with transporting damaged, defective, or recalled lithium cells or batteries or portable electronic devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone devices recently recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  According to the CPSC, the lithium-ion battery in the Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones can overheat and catch fire, posing a serious burn and fire hazard. The recall affects nearly two million Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones.

While carrying the Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone aboard a CMV by drivers and passengers has not been banned, FMCSA is recommending that all persons who wish to carry these devices on a CMV, including motorcoaches, take the following precautions:

• Turn off the device;
• Disconnect the device from any charging equipment;
• Disable all applications that could inadvertently activate the phone (e.g., alarm clock);
• Protect the power switch to prevent its unintentional activation; and
• Keep the device in carry-on baggage or on your person. Do not store in an inaccessible baggage compartment.

In accordance with the Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations 49 CFR 173.21(b), the transportation of electrical devices, such as batteries and battery-powered devices, which are likely to create sparks or generate a dangerous evolution of heat, is forbidden, unless packaged in a manner which precludes such an occurrence.  The recalled Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones are subject to this regulatory prohibition and may only be transported by CMV as cargo under the conditions of a Special Permit or Approval issued by PHMSA's Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.  Click here to read the full safety advisory. Contact: Duane DeBruyne: (202) 366-9999.

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PHMSA Issues Final Orders with $732,100 in Civil Penalties to ONEOK. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today issued three Final Orders with required corrective actions and civil penalties totaling $732,100 to ONEOK NGL Pipeline, L.P., ONEOK NGL Pipeline, L.L.C., and ONEOK Underground Storage Company, L.L.C. (collectively, ONEOK). The final orders are the result of an investigation into a fire at a ONEOK facility in Bushton, Kansas that found 15 violations of the pipeline safety regulations in 49 C.F.R. Part 195. ONEOK operates 11,500 miles of pipeline transporting hazardous liquids in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and several other states. For more information on DOT's efforts to promote pipeline and hazardous materials safety compliance, visit www.phmsa.dot.gov. Contact for media: Allie Aguilera (202) 366-4831.

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