States Face New Terms for Funds

The federal program that provides a majority of the funding for roadside truck and driver inspections may be getting a tune up to hold states more accountable for results.

The Federal Highway Administration proposed changes to the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program that would give states more flexibility to tackle trucking safety problems at a local level. However, the changes tie funding to a requirement that states develop results-oriented plans and rewards for improving safety.

This approach was mandated by the 1998 highway funding bill. States must adopt the performance-based motor carrier safety plans by fiscal 2000.

MCSAP was created in 1982 to fund inspection efforts at the state level. When Congress reauthorized the program in 1997, it expanded the scope to include other activities such as hazardous materials training, commercial driver license enforcement and traffic enforcement.

May 10 is the deadline for comments on the proposed changes, which appeared in the Federal Register March 9.