DOT Watchdog Faults FMCSA for Delays in CDL Oversight

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he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has failed to adequately improve its oversight of the commercial driver license program, leaving the nation vulnerable to terror attacks and poorly trained drivers, according to a high-ranking Department of Transportation official.

Inspector General Kenneth Mead told FMCSA officials the government had done a better job screening airline passengers since the 9/11 attacks than the agency had done ensuring CDL holders are who they claim to be.

Mead said that while FMCSA had agreed to tighten CDL procedures through a planned rulemaking in October 2003, it now appears that the agency would not improve its program until at least May 2005.

“We are concerned that the continuing delay in issuing this proposed regulation exposes us to increased risk,” Mead said in a June 10 letter to FMCSA Administrator Annette Sandberg and other top agency officials.

For the full story, see the June 21 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

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