FMCSA Adds Congestion Relief to Five-Year Strategic Plan

he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has added congestion relief to its continued emphasis on truck safety in a listing of the agency’s priorities for the next five years and said that industry competition may affect safety.

“External factors touching the industry we serve require us to also focus on the issues that challenge the nation’s surface transportation system,” FMCSA said in a summary of its new strategic plan. “As a result of this reality . . . you will find in this new FMCSA draft strategic plan a new objective . . . to address congestion, still firmly tied to accomplishing our safety activities.”

FMCSA said there were several challenges facing the agency because of “the dramatically changing environment of the commercial motor vehicle industry” and that sharper industry competition may affect safety.