WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security Subcommittee hearing today on the oversight of motor carrier safety efforts. 

Witness List:

Panel I

The Honorable Anne S. Ferro, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board

Panel II

Mr. Francis France, President, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance 

Ms. Jacqueline S. Gillan, Vice President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety 

Mr. Dave Osiecki, Senior Vice President - Policy and Regulatory Affairs, American Trucking Association

Mr. Todd Spencer, Executive Vice President, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

Key Quotations from Today’s Hearing:

“Trucks are enormously important to our nation’s economy, bringing goods and commodities to our homes, stores, and businesses. For everyone on the road, we have a responsibility to make sure those trucks are operating safely. Far too often, they are not, and the consequences can be deadly. When we fail to make safety priority number one, our entire community is put in danger. Drivers behind the wheels of our trucks and buses are the heart and soul of our nation’s surface transportation system – we want to make sure they are well-trained, well-rested, and fully supported by employers who always put safety first.”

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV 

“Big trucks account for only 3.5 percent of all registered vehicles on our roads, yet they are involved in more than 11 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths. While there is no mistaking that our economy relies on trucks, we have to remember that these vehicles share the roads with our families and they are more widespread than ever before. That's why we need commonsense policies in place to ensure the trucks on our roads are safe, and truck drivers are alert.”

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Chairman, U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security

“As the head of the agency responsible for reducing these fatality and injury rates, I do not waiver in my commitment to prevent and eliminate these avoidable motor carrier crashes. Under the strong leadership of Secretary LaHood, Deputy Secretary Porcari, and with the dedication and support of every man and woman who works for FMCSA, we are steadfast in achieving the agency’s mission to improve and secure motor carrier safety.”

The Honorable Anne S. Ferro, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 

“No carrier wants to have an accident, but strong economic forces sometimes create an environment in which safety is not always every carrier’s priority. That is why we need comprehensive and consistent oversight of the motor carrier industry.”

The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board

“There still were 4,229 deaths in trucks and 307 in buses in 2008, so we still have plenty of work to do in our march towards zero deaths on our roadways. The downturn in the economy certainly has played a role in this, and my fear is that as it begins to recover, as thankfully it looks to be the case, we will not have adequate resources to maintain these numbers, much less improve upon them. A critical step for ensuring there are adequate resources in place today and in the future is for the Congress to pass a long-term transportation bill as soon as possible.”

Mr. Francis France, President, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

“It is up to Congress to take action now that will improve safety, protect the long-term national investment in our crumbling highway and bridge infrastructure while also protecting the environment and providing a more level playing field for intermodal freight transportation. We are at a crucial juncture in highway and motor carrier safety in this Congress.”

Ms. Jacqueline S. Gillan, Vice President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

“ATA and the trucking industry is proud of its safety progress and we believe it is, at least in part, the result of many safety initiatives ATA has fought for – and achieved – over the past decades including mandatory drug and alcohol testing, the commercial driver‘s license program, and well-reasoned hours of service regulations based on sound science. Yet, truck safety is about more than regulations. It is about understanding the factors that create crash risk and the behaviors and events that precipitate (i.e., cause) crashes. It is about programs, countermeasures and preventive actions that truly address those risks and behaviors. Future FMCSA rules and programs will only succeed to the degree to which they focus on and address crash risk and causation.”

Mr. Dave Osiecki, Senior Vice President - Policy and Regulatory Affairs, American Trucking Association

“It must be recognized that in trucking, economics and safety go hand in hand. From the equipment aspect where a driver is unable to pay for repairs to his truck because he was not properly compensated despite delivering a load on time and in good order to unrealistic delivery schedules that put drivers in the position of driving while fatigued or violating hours-of-service rules. There is a chain of responsibility in safety and FMCSA, in addition to being given the authority to properly govern it, must be given the resources to adequately enforce existing regulations.”

Mr. Todd Spencer, Executive Vice President, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

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