Once again, motor carriers will have the Department of Transportation’s ear when it comes to improving highway safety.
The DOT plans to relaunch the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and is seeking nominations from representatives of the trucking industry, including small-business motor carriers, individual truck drivers, safety advocates and safety enforcement officials.
“The Department solicits nominations for membership to serve on the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee,” the agency wrote in a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, Jan. 22. “MCSAC provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation through the administrator of FMCSA about needs, objective, plans, approaches, content and accomplishments of the motor carrier safety programs carried out by the administration and motor carrier safety regulations.”
MCSAC originally launched in 2006, but the committee hasn’t had a meeting since December 2024. Going forward, the committee is expected to meet twice a year.
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, has been a longtime member of the committee who has argued that compliance with regulations doesn’t necessarily equate to improved safety.
“Coming from a trucking perspective … we’ve seen lots and lots of regulations,” Spencer said during a June 2023 meeting. “And all of these are supposed to improve highway safety and reduce fatalities and crashes and injuries. And, you know, that’s not happening.
“At some point, I think it’s reasonable to determine the effectiveness of what’s been done so far. And if we can’t show that things actually improved as a result of this (regulation), then maybe it’s the time to put that out, that effort, downscale that effort, and move in a different direction based on some kind of real logical information that would be more likely to produce a positive benefit.”
Since then, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has taken steps toward removing “unnecessary” regulations from the books.
How to apply
Qualified individuals can self-nominate or be nominated by any individual or organization. Past members are welcome to apply.
Nominations should include the following information:
- Name, title and relevant contact information
- A letter of support from a company, union, trade association, academic or nonprofit organization on letterhead containing a brief description of why the nominee should be considered for membership
- A short biography of the nominee, including professional and academic credentials
- An affirmative statement that the nominee meets all MCSAC eligibility requirements
The DOT requests that nominations be submitted within 30 days of the notice being published in the Federal Register. LL
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