Hearings on Motor Carrier Safety Scheduled

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced plans to conduct a review of how the agency can best monitor and assess the safety of the nation’s motor carriers and ensure their compliance with federal regulations.

The multi-year review project, known as the Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative (CSA-2010), will begin next month with a series of public listening sessions. FMCSA will ask motor carriers, insurance and safety advocacy groups, traffic enforcement professionals and the public for their views on the ideal ways to measure the safety of truck and bus operations and take effective action.

“Today we are making great strides in improving motor carrier safety,” said FMCSA Administrator Annette M. Sandberg. “Now is the time to look at every aspect of our safety program – how we use it, how we can improve it, and how we can add to it – so we can be ready for the future.”

The dates and locations of the sessions are:

* Sept. 21, Doubletree Hotel, Mission Valley, San Diego;
* Sept. 28, Sheraton Atlanta, Atlanta;
* Oct. 5, Hampton Inn & Suites Dallas/Mesquite, Mesquite, TX;
* Oct. 12, Wyndham Chicago, Chicago;
* Oct. 19, Fairview Park Marriot, Falls Church, VA;
* Oct. 26, Sheraton Springfield, Springfield, MA.

The agency currently inspects higher risk carriers through a series of on-site inspections and reviews. However, the agency points out that it is uncertain whether the process will remain effective in the face of expected increases in freight volume. Over the next 20 years, freight volume is expected to increase 50 percent from current levels.