WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Senate Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security Subcommittee today held a hearing on reauthorization of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) programs.  

Witness List:

The Honorable Anne Ferro, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

The Honorable Christopher Hart, Vice Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

Mr. Daniel L. England, Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, American Trucking Associations

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

Mr. Joe Rajkovacz, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) 

Key Quotations from Today’s Hearing: 

“There are more than half a million trucks and buses operating on our roads today, and every year, more than 3,600 Americans are killed due to truck and bus related accidents.  This loss of life is even more troubling when we know that FMCSA’s current resources limit its yearly inspection of these carriers to less than three percent.  So even as we face reauthorization of these important safety programs with limited funding, we have to make smart choices about the future of our safety on the road.  Smart choices to equip FMCSA with the tools needed to do its job today will help secure our safety tomorrow.”

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

“While most commercial truck and bus companies put safety first, crashes still happen—and when they do, the consequences can be devastating.  We must do more to help the FMCSA protect Americans from dangers on our roadways.  That’s why I will soon introduce a bill to strengthen safety regulations by ensuring only the safest motor carriers and drivers enter the industry, improving the laws and regulations that govern drivers and vehicles, and giving the government the tools it needs to kick unsafe drivers and carriers out of the industry.”

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

“FMCSA’s 2011-2014 Strategic Plan, for which we are now seeking public comment, is based on a strategic framework that is shaped by three core principles: raise the bar to enter the motor carrier industry; maintain high safety standards to remain in the industry; and remove high-risk carriers, drivers, and service providers from operation.  In preparing technical assistance for legislative policy proposals for motor carrier safety, the Department paid close attention to suggested provisions that advance one or more of our three core principles.”

The Honorable Anne Ferro, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

“Accidents—although often tragic and costly—provide a unique opportunity to identify real world issues and to learn from our mistakes.  Frustrating to the NTSB is that many of the issues discussed today have been identified as causal to truck and bus accidents for a number of years, yet NTSB investigators continue to see these factors again and again.  Transportation safety is too important for the well-being of our citizens, our industry, and our economy to continue to repeat past mistakes.  We need to do better.”

The Honorable Christopher Hart, Vice Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board

“Further meaningful improvements will require a departure from the traditional approach to truck safety. The government must acknowledge the role other motorists play in truck crashes and identify the programs we can put in place to prevent these crashes. Further, we must be more creative in our approach to improving driver and carrier safety. Providing carriers will safety tools will leverage the size and power of the industry to achieve the mutual objective of improving highway safety.”

Mr. Daniel L. England, Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, American Trucking Associations

“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.  The debate over future funding for road and bridge construction and repair make conservation and preservation of the existing highway infrastructure an essential part of any plan to protect taxpayer investment in continued surface transportation mobility and safety.”

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

“OOIDA firmly believes that it is in the best interest of the industry and highway safety for Congress to continue the practice of passing multi-year reauthorization Highway Bills.  However, due to economic and regulatory uncertainty, Congress must be careful how the bill is funded and what legislative priorities are passed into law.”

Mr. Joe Rajkovacz, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

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