FLC OF DC10 IN DSCNT FAILS TO MAKE THEIR XING RESTR. THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO NOTIFY ATC IN ADVANCE.

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INBOUND TO MEM VIA DIRECT GQE AND GILMORE ARR TO MEM. AT APPROX 40 MI N OF GQE AT FL290; WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO CROSS 15 MI N OF GQE AT 12000 FT. WE BEGAN IMMEDIATE DSCNT; AND AS SO; I BEGAN PREPARATION FOR LNDG (MAKING SURE THINGS WERE SECURE; COCKPIT DOOR OPEN; PAX AWARE OF ARR). THIS XING RESTR WOULD REQUIRE A VERY HIGH RATE OF DSCNT WHILE WE WERE STILL AT CRUISE AIRSPD. UPON RETURNING TO MY SEAT AND JOINING THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS; I NOTICED THAT WE WERE 13-14 MI N OF GQE AND HAD NOT YET MET OUR XING RESTR. I INQUIRED AS TO WHETHER THE RESTR HAD BEEN DELETED BY ATC. BOTH OTHER CREW MEMBERS INDICATED IT HAD NOT; BUT THAT THE FREQ OF ATC WAS SO CONGESTED THAT THEY COULD NOT GET THROUGH TO MAKE THE SIT KNOWN. IN RETROSPECT; I SEE THE NEED FOR MY ATTENDING TO PRELNDG DUTIES SHOULD COME AT AN EARLIER TIME. THERE IS A NEED TO BE 'UP FRONT' WITH THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS DURING IMPORTANT PHASES OF FLT -- INCLUDING THE APCH ENVIRONMENT. WE SHOULD HAVE MADE IT CLR INITIALLY TO ATC THAT WE MAY HAVE HAD A HARD TIME MEETING OUR XING RESTR. THIS WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM A HEADS UP ON THE SIT. IN SPEAKING TO APCH CTL AFTERWARDS ON THE GND; I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO PROBS RESULTING FROM OUT SIT.