Van Steenburg: FMCSA to Seek Comments on ‘Alternative Compliance’

SAN DIEGO -- Jack Van Steenburg, chief safety officer at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said he expects the agency to seek input from the public in the coming months on an “alternative compliance” program aimed at giving carriers and drivers credit for installing safety technologies.

“The plan is to really identify what we think could be some type of technologies and programs that the industry has in place and what the benefits are,” Van Steenburg told reporters at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition on Oct. 5.

The notice would appear in the Federal Register to “get recommendations” on “what programs would be considered ‘alternative compliance,’ ” Van Steenburg added, noting that a date has not been set for when to seek comments.

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Responding to industry concerns, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance organized a group a few years ago to examine alternative compliance, specifically ways carriers could get credit for adopting certain voluntary drug testing programs.

Besides pursuing an alternative-compliance rule, Van Steenburg told the industry executives the agency is moving ahead on issuing a final rule on electronic logging devices, implementing Phase III of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, and issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking on motor carrier safety fitness determination.