Arlington, Va. – In comments filed July 29, American Trucking Associations said that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's draft Five-Year Strategic Plan "represents a genuine effort on the part of the agency to listen to, and incorporate, the recommendations of stakeholders," however, ATA went on to tell the agency that, while a good start, the plan does not do enough to address the root causes of crashes.
"ATA commends FMCSA for acknowledging the need to address all entities that affect truck and driver safety in the transportation life cycle, especially the operators of passenger vehicles with which trucks share the road," ATA wrote in its comments. "However, while the draft plan addresses these issues, it falls far short in that it does not identify the primary causes of crashes and prioritize countermeasures and solutions accordingly."
"ATA recognizes that FMCSA's primary role is to regulate the trucking industry. However, the agency's mission is to reduce truck crashes," says ATA. "While the goals identified in the draft plan are certainly laudable, it is appropriate to align these goals with the agency's overarching object: to reduce truck crashes."
By minimizing the emphasis on addressing passenger vehicle driver behavior, "FMCSA will, at best, only impact the minority of truck crashes – perhaps less than 30 percent - caused by truck drivers."
