FHWA Should Oversee Truck Safety

ARLINGTON, Va. — Jurisdiction over truck and bus safety should remain within the Federal Highway Administration, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said.

In a June 18 speech to American Trucking Associations board of directors, Slater said the department’s goal of cutting in half the number of truck-related fatalities over the next decade would best be achieved by beefing up existing programs.

Slater’s plan responds to a report by the Department of Transportation’s inspector general calling for improve-ments in motor carrier safety.

Inspector General Kenneth Mead’s first choice was creating a motor carrier safety administration (5-3, p.1 ). His second choice — adopted by Slater — would give the FHWA time to improve safety.

"We believe striving to achieve the ambitious goal we have set for ourselves and our partners — rather than management reorganization — will reduce fatalities and injuries," Slater said.

The Office of Motor Carriers and Highway Safety is doubling the number of compliance reviews it conducts on carriers, limiting negotiated settlements with trucking companies that violate the law and soon will issue new rules to shut down unfit carriers.

For the full story, see the June 28 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.