Mead: New Motor Carrier Office Must Fix Safety Problems

December 22, 1999 11:16 AM, EST

Days after President Clinton signed legislation creating a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the head of the Department of Transportation’s watchdog office encouraged the new agency to use the tools it has to improve truck and bus safety.

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Transportation officials were optimistic about the agency’s ability to meet DOT’s goal of cutting the number of truck-related fatalities in half over 10 years. The department also unveiled a new World Wide Web site that will offer more information on motor carrier safety.

In a Dec. 15 interview with Transport Topics, Kenneth M. Mead, DOT’s inspector general, criticized earlier federal efforts at overseeing motor carrier safety and delays he saw in correcting problems.

“I think we’ve come a long way over the past year in understanding what needs to be fixed and what the problems were,” Mead said. “That’s different from saying there’s been a lot of progress in improving motor carrier safety.”

For the full story, see the Dec. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.