Congress Sends MCSA Bill to Clinton

Legislation creating a Motor Carrier Safety Administration is on its way to the White House after Congress finished action on the proposal last week.

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Both houses approved the measure by voice votes: the House on Nov. 18 and the Senate a day later. In doing so, it moved months of debate over the establishment of such an agency to a possible conclusion.

Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said he would recommend that President Clinton sign the bill.

"This historic legislation provides our federal and state transportation professional additional tools to meet the challenges of truck and bus safety," Slater said.

The legislation also allows Slater to decide which federal agency has jurisdiction over truck maintenance regulations. The Federal Highway Administration now has that responsibility, but safety groups want jurisdiction given to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Other elements of the bill include:

• Establishing a new program to certify safety inspectors to conduct inspections of truck and bus companies.
• Mandating that carriers granted new operating authority undergo a federal safety review within 18 months after beginning service.
• Increases funding for the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, which provides grants to states. To enforce safety regulations.

The legislation changes the commercial driver license program to ensure a big rig trucker has only one driver record and improve the collection of such information.

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