The Federal Motor Carrier Safety is charged with creating regulations and safety initiatives, to be used in cooperation with States, to improve the safety of commercial vehicles.
The FMCSA was created within the Department of Transportation pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act (MCSIA) of 1999. The purpose of the MCSIA was to improve the safety of commercial drivers through regulations, stronger enforcement and sanctions. According to the MCSIA, the goal was to reduce the number and severity of large-truck involved collisions.
COMPASSis an agency wide initiative to implement information technology solutions to improve data quality and business processes. It will also help FMCSA to work easily with state enforcement personnel to improve transfer of data and research for education, enforcement and outreach.
Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety and Security includes many programs aimed at increasing the use of seat belts among drivers. Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) is a research initiative to serve as a model for states to implement a high-visibility law enforcement program and educate motorists how to safely share the road with large trucks. Hazardous Materials security risks are also managed and require an FMCSA safety permit and registration with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in order to transport hazardous materials.
Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 Initiativewas started in 2004 to create a new operational model to more efficiently increase the safety of commercial vehicles and drivers after limitations were found with the current model.New approaches include more incentives for safe behavior and increased use of innovative technology to ensure safety and efficiency. The first operational model test was given in February 2008 to assess the efficiency and improvement of the new plan to reach FMSCA target goals.
The Rules and Regulations area is responsible for all of the truckers’ regulations, including the controversial Hours of Service rules. Federal regulations include driver safety, drug and alcohol use and interstate delivery of household goods. Vehicle regulations are also in place to ensure safety for drivers and other motorists as well and limitations on weight and size. The Commercial Motor Carrier Safety Assistance program is also included to provide financial assistance to states to actively enforce safety regulations to reduce accidents. There are also regulations for transporting and parking hazardous material. NAFTA regulations are also managed in this area. There are also medical regulations to ensure the health and capability of drivers to safely operate commercial vehicles.
In Registration and Licensing, one of the main components to ensure compliance is the registration for a USDOT number by all companies operating interstate trucks. This area of FMCSA includes licensing of commercial vehicle drivers and support in understanding regulations. There are also new company requirements and support for licensing and insurance for their commercial vehicles.
Analysis, Research and Technology is the main source of data and information behind policy created to increase the safety of commercial vehicles and drivers. This division of FMCSA engages in studies on economic and environmental impacts, as well as innovative ways to improve safety through analyzing data and trends. The technology aspects look at developing new technology to improve safety and conducts tests to evaluate efficiency.
The Cross Border division in FMCSA works within NAFTA regulations to allow Mexican-based commercial vehicles to drive within the U.S. FMCSA is in charge of monitoring and registering all Mexican-based companies and extending safety rules and regulations to Mexican drivers and vehicles. It also deals with the less controversial border with Canada and the monitoring of Canadian motor carriers. FMCSA Welcomes Mexican Motor Carriers
Truckers’ Hours
The Bush Administration has been criticized for its deregulation campaign that has tried to loosen “cumbersome” rules on the trucking industry, including limits on the number of hours truck drivers can work per day. Advocates for highway safety argue that the deregulation is to blame for truck accidents and deaths. Opponents point at the administration’s appointment of trucking industry executives and stakeholders in the Department of Transportation.
Electronic On-Board Recorders
Mexican Truckers
There is considerable debate on the implications of NAFTA and Mexican commercial truck drivers working in the U.S. A pilot program was initiated in 2007, monitored by FCMSA, and there is a question regarding the benefits and costs of allowing Mexican truckers to drive past the commercial zone on the border and into the U.S.
Proponents of Allowing Mexican Truckers into the U.S
Opponents
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Founded: 2000
Annual Budget: $530 million
Employees: 1,192
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
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Ferro, Anne
Administrator
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President Obama’s choice to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has created a firestorm of criticism from labor and safety advocacy groups. FMCSA, which is part of the Department of Transportation, is charged with creating regulations and safety initiatives to be used in cooperation with states, to improve the safety of commercial vehicles, especially trucks. Trucking companies, labor unions representing truckers, and safety-oriented consumer groups are the main constituents seeking to influence FMCSA.
Anne S. Ferro, who was sworn in as FMCSA administrator on November 13, 2009, had spent the previous six years leading a trade association of trucking companies, the Maryland Motor Truck Association, a history that has the Teamsters Union and the Truck Safety Coalition crying foul and criticizing her selection. These groups are particularly critical of Ferro’s previous support for a Bush administration relaxation of “ hours of service” regulations that would allow trucking companies to require drivers to drive for as long as eleven hours straight, which they view as an unsafe practice. Nevertheless, in late October 2009, FMCSA agreed to abandon the new rules.
Born in Maryland circa 1958, Ferro grew up in Larchmont, New York, the daughter of Don and Marybelle Schanche. After graduating high school, she worked as a stable hand in California and Wyoming. After traveling abroad with her parents (her father headed The Los Angeles Times Cairo bureau), Ferro returned to Maryland for her studies. She earned a B.A. from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1980, and immediately became a Peace Corps volunteer in Côte d’Ivoire. Upon her return to the U.S., Ferro earned a Master’s in Public Management from the University Of Maryland School Of Public Policy. She did stints in economic development at the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland and served six years with the Maryland General Assembly Department of Fiscal Services (now the Department of Legislative Services), where she staffed the House Ways and Means Committee, from 1986 to 1992. In 1992, Ferro took a job as Associate Administrator of Vehicle Services at the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, and was appointed Administrator in 1997. In January 2003, Ferro was briefly fired by incoming Republican governor Robert Ehrlich, who wanted to appoint a Republican to her post, but the outcry from the Maryland General Assembly resulted in her hasty re-appointment. Nevertheless, Ferro left government early the following year to become President of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, a trade association representing Maryland trucking companies.
Ferro and her husband, Dan, have two children and reside in Annapolis, Maryland. Since 2004, Ferro has donated $2,000 to the American Trucking Association’s political action committee.
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Hill, John
Previous Administrator
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The U.S. Senate confirmed John H. Hill FMCSA Administrator, on August 4, 2006, and he served until the end of the administration of George W. Bush. Hill graduated from Taylor University, an evangelical Christian school in Indiana, in 1973 with a B.A. in Political Science. From 1974-2003, Hill was a member of the Indiana State Police. Twice during this time he served as Commander of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division. In 1991, Hill served on the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems committee and from 2001 to 2003, he served on the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). In the AAMVA, he was part of the Task Force for Identification Security, International Law Enforcement Committee and the Board of Directors. Starting in June 2003 until his appointment as Administrator, Hill was the FMCSA’s Chief Safety Officer and Assistant Administration.
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