Owings to Lead FMCSA Advisory Panel

Steve Owings, president of Road Safe America, has been named chairman of the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, which advises federal officials on truck and bus safety issues.

Owings, who has served in the group since its establishment in 2007, will become chairman Jan. 1, and his term will expire at the end of 2014, said Anne Ferro, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which oversees the group.

“He just brings outstanding perspective and leadership to the role,” Ferro said at a MCSAC meeting this month. “We’re really excited about having Steve take on the chairmanship.”

David Parker, senior legal counsel at Great West Casualty Co., had been MCSAC’s chairman since it was started. But a new charter written by FMCSA for the group limits the chairman’s term to two years.

“I am honored by the opportunity to serve in this important role helping our nation’s leaders develop rational and effective policies that will save lives on our highways,” Owings said in a statement.