Letters to the Editor: Security, FMCSA’s Failures, Kudos for Hill

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Port Security It seems as if the cards for the new Transportation Worker Identification Credential will not be much more than the U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Card issued to me in 1958. Those included the following identification of the holder and were signed and validated by the Coast Guard: • Photo of the holder. • Full name, occupation and sponsor. • Right-hand index fingerprint. • Holder’s birthplace, citizenship, age, height, weight and sex. • Issue and expiration dates. • Social Security number. One extremely interesting fact about the Coast Guard card is that during my career of nearly 40 years spent on piers for the East, Gulf and West coasts of the United States, I was never asked to produce the document for any reason. Nor have I experienced being attacked or harmed by anyone at any time while I was working on or visiting any port in the U.S. or elsewhere. It’s amazing to me that the world is now confronted with a situation that calls for an ultra-heavy security blanket to cover all ports on this globe. Don McLellan Shipping Consultant Suffolk, Va. FMCSA’s Failures Your article about the lack of enforcement by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is absolutely correct. (Click here for previous coverage.) Trucks repeatedly caught should face stiff penalties that are enforced for everyone’s safety, but FMCSA apparently is not enforcing any regulations. I’ve seen a company that repeatedly has been caught just open its doors under a new name. The same individuals continue in operations. If FMCSA is not going to maintain any standards on how these companies are operating, why bother to give out authority to operate? Companies that are abiding by the rules of operation are being left in the dust. It’s time the rules were enforced. P.J. Luckert President Dorsey Transportation Inc. Louisville, Ky. Kudos for Hill John Hill is the “Best of the Best” of any administrators that I have ever met. (Click here for previous coverage.) John has a proven record here in the great state of Indiana and at the federal government level. His leadership will be superb. Hill’s communication skills are exactly what the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration needs. Congratulations to John Hill and to President Bush for selecting such a man of high ethics and a great Indiana Hoosier. Safety on our highways has always been John Hill’s number one goal. As president of the Indiana Household Movers & Warehouseman’s Association, and past 2005 chairman of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, I look forward to working with him in the near future. Robert Shetler President Shetler Moving & Storage Inc. Evansville, Ind. Hours of Service My biggest disagreement with the hours-of-service issue is that the people complaining about the HOS have never driven a truck for a living. I think we need more truck driver input on the issue. These studies that they do are conducted only by people who have never driven a truck. I think a lot of the problems come from the fact that a lot of drivers don’t know when to say, “enough is enough.” There is no load of freight worth injuring or killing someone over. If I can’t deliver on time, I say so up front and tell the shipper. My company backs me on my decisions; it’s in their best interest as much as mine. We have no problems with our way of doing business. I once told a receiver, “Would you rather I was here now, or that I drive sleepy and run over your family and kill them?” He calmed down. Donnie Gilley Owner-Operator New Site, Miss. 68 MPH Congratulations to American Trucking Associations’ board of directors for encouraging truck manufacturers to limit possible truck speeds to 68 mph. (Click here for previous coverage.) I have driven trucks for more than 35 years and am now a safety supervisor. Almost all my driving has been in the crowded Northeast. Trucks should not be the fastest vehicles on the road. At 68 mph, most car traffic would be pulling away from us. That would allow for better following distance — lowering the chances of an accident. And since many trucks run at night, speeds in excess of 68 mph mean drivers constantly “overdrive” their headlights. Limiting truck speed is a bold step for ATA and will certainly be controversial. I urge them to stick with it. Any drivers lost probably weren’t the safest ones anyway. Drivers who do stay at the speed limit are usually less stressed at the end of their day, and that is a health benefit. Thank you, ATA, for taking a bold step toward making our highways even safer. Frank Wendling Former Truck Driver Morgantown, Pa. These letters appear in the May 29 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.