The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), recently released a recap of its 2019 achievements and detailed its major priorities for improving large truck and bus safety on American roadways in the future (2019 In Review: U.S. Department of Transportation Focuses on Safety and Key Priorities for Commercial Motor Vehicles).
Throughout the last year, FMCSA led initiatives that promoted safety, lowered burdensome regulations, dispensed crucial safety funding, and bolstered employment in the trucking industry. “Safety is always #1 at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.
“Under Secretary Chao’s leadership, FMCSA has been laser-focused on safety and reducing crashes involving large trucks. The Agency’s accomplishments reflect the Trump Administration’s commitment to improving safety on our roadways, reducing regulatory burdens, and strengthening the nation’s motor carrier industry,” said FMCSA Administrator Jim Mullen.
Some of FMCSA’s major accomplishments during 2019 included the following:
- Hours of Service: Reforming hours of service regulations to improve safety and increase flexibility for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers, providing approximately $274 million in benefits to the American economy.
- Regulatory Efficiency: Regulatory reforms, involving regulations on entry-level driver training and commercial buses, totaling an additional $92 million in savings for the U.S. economy.
- Grant Funding: Grants totaling $77.3 million to states and educational institutions to enhance CMV safety.
- Support of Military Servicemembers: Launch of Under-21 Military Driver Program, allowing 18-20-year-olds with the U.S. military equivalent of a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to operate large trucks in interstate commerce.
- Fighting Human Trafficking: Final rule permanently banning drivers convicted of human trafficking from operating a CMV.
- Helping People Find Trucking Jobs: Lower burdens on those seeking to obtain CDL’s, including saving driver trainees and motor carriers $18 million per year.
- New Technologies: Advanced rule seeking input on the possible removal of unneeded regulations preventing the utilization of automated driving systems (ADS) vehicles in the United States.
- Raising Awareness of Large Truck & Bus Safety: FMCSA’s “Our Roads, Our Safety” and “Voices of Safety” campaigns have received more than 359 million views on platforms across the nation.
As you can see from the above list of 2019 achievements, FMCSA is doing its part to improve the safety of large trucks and buses. Unfortunately, as long as the trucking industry maintains its long history of prioritizing profits over safety, FMCSA’s ongoing oversight role will continue to be required.
If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident involving a large truck or bus, please contact Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman for a free consultation. We will only receive a fee in the event of a successful resolution of your case.