This directive was canceled on January 6, 2010

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration	Order Subject
	FHWA DIRECTIVES MANAGEMENT PROGRAM HANDBOOK
	Classification Code	Date	Office of Primary Interest
	H 1321.1B	April 10, 2000	HAIM-10

1. What is the purpose of this directive? This is a new FHWA Directives Management Program Handbook. It describes the FHWA directives system and its requirements, and gives you guidance on how to prepare official directives. This Handbook also gives you information on the categories of FHWA directives and their uses, and describes the entire process for preparing, obtaining approval, and posting FHWA directives on the FHWA Directives and Policy Memorandums Website.
   
   
2. Does this directive cancel an existing FHWA directive? Yes. This directive cancels the outdated FHWA Order H 1321.1A, FHWA Directives System Handbook, dated December 5, 1980.
   
   
3. What is the background concerning this directive? This issuance describes the current FHWA directives system requirements. It emphasizes the preparation and issuance of directives in electronic format. For many years, the FHWA has printed official directives in large quantities and distributed them by mail to the FHWA staff, States, and other end-users. During that time, large quantities of directives copies were routinely stored in the DOT Warehouse. Today, the signed directives are issued in electronic format by postings on the directives website. Copies of directives are no longer printed, mailed, or stored in the DOT Warehouse. The former Directives System Handbook focused on issuing directives in paper format. This new Handbook focuses on preparing draft directives and transmitting them within FHWA using e-mail, and paperless issuance. Also, this Handbook encourages you to prepare new FHWA directives consistent with the President's Plain Language Initiative. This new Handbook follows the plain language guidelines, and sets an example for you as a directives writer or user. Further information on the plain language initiative can be found at www.plainlanguage.gov.
   
   
4. What are the major changes? In addition to emphasizing the use of e-mail, the directives website, and plain language concepts relative to the directives process, this Handbook eliminates the FHWA Bulletin as one of the official directive categories. Over the years, the Bulletin has been issued in paper format for routine communications such as key assignment announcements and to transmit reports and publications. The increasing use of e-mail memorandums to announce the agency's administrative actions has caused the Bulletin to become obsolete. With this elimination of the Bulletin, the FHWA directives issuance process is now completely paperless. Also, the procedures for preparing regulations documented in the Directives System Handbook are not included in this Handbook. The regulations guidance can be found in the FHWA Regulations Manual.
   
   
5. Where can I get additional guidance on the FHWA directives system? If you have questions or concerns about the FHWA directives system, you may contact the FHWA Directives Control Point (DCP) at 202-366-5262.

Michael J. Vecchietti
Director of Administration