Safety Hearings Set

The battle over which federal agency gets jurisdiction over truck safety took a new twist last week with the announcement of a second set of congressional hearings on the issue.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) last week said the issue of motor carrier safety belongs to his committee, which oversees all modes of transportation, and announced a series of at least three hearings on the subject beginning Feb. 11 before the panel’s Ground Transportation Subcommittee.

The battle over which federal agency gets jurisdiction over truck safety has touched off a jurisdictional dispute between two congressional committees.

Ground Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Tom Petri (R-Wis.) said the hearings will be wide-ranging. "Let me be clear that we will approach these hearings with an open mind — with no preconceived notions or actions contemplated," Petri said. "We will go where the facts lead, and do what is necessary to promote and improve safety."

"We’re not completely convinced that moving OMC is the best thing for truck safety," said committee spokesman Scott Brenner.

No witness list was available last week.

For the full story, see the Feb. 8 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.