Senate Commerce Committee to Take Up Trucking Safety Issues

Related Stories McCain says he'll hold hearings on OMC transfer. (Nov. 30) Mead urges Congress to take 'hammer approach' to truck safety. (March 18) Congressional panel hears call for increased truck safety. (Feb. 24) (Note: To return to this story, click the "Back" button on your browser.)

The debate over trucking safety moves to a new forum April 27 as the Senate Commerce Committee holds a hearing on the issue, which is getting more and more attention from lawmakers.

Kenneth Mead, inspector general in the Department of Transportation, is expected to unveil the results of a four-month audit of the federal motor carrier safety program requested in November by the committee’s chairman, John McCain of Arizona.

The Republican senator asked for an analysis of a proposal to transfer jurisdiction over truck safety from the Federal Highway Administration to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (11-30, p. 11).

McCain, a presidential candidate, also asked the inspector general to analyze the effectiveness of the Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety business unit at the FWHA.

In addition, he wants to determine what impact the restructuring of FHWA’s field offices will have on motor carrier safety in general and state safety enforcement in particular.

Although advance copies of the audit were not made available to the news media, Assistant Inspector General Patricia J. Thompson said the report may not take a position on which government agency should regulate truck safety.

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