NTSB Chair Criticizes DOT, Trucking

Jim Hall joined the debate over trucking safety earlier in April, but he didn’t take sides. Now, that has changed.

The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board came out swinging against both the Department of Transportation and trucking during an April 16 news conference.

“The government doesn’t have a plan and industry doesn’t have a plan to address the growth that is occurring in this industry,” Hall said at the press gathering at the end of a three-day hearing on truck and bus safety.

“It’s the responsibility of government and industry to plan for that growth,” he added.

“This issue wouldn’t have gotten the attention it is getting if government and industry had been doing the job that needs to be done,” Hall said.

Hall’s comments were far stronger than those made during testimony at congressional hearings in February and March on truck safety.

Julie Cirillo, program manager for the Federal Highway Administration’s Motor Carrier and Highway Safety business unit, said the agency is developing a safety action plan.

American Trucking Associations spokesman Mike Russell disagreed with Hall, saying the group is advocating an eight-point safety plan that addresses many of the concerns raised during the hearings.

The three-day session was part of the transportation safety board’s yearlong plan to focus on highway safety issues, Hall said.

For the full story, see the April 26 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.