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April 19, 1999 8:20 AM, EDT

The days of the industry’s hand-in-hand relationship with the federal government are over, soon to be replaced by stronger safety enforcement, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s top trucking regulator.

Julie Cirillo, program manager of the Motor Carrier and Highway Safety business unit, said her office is de-emphasizing its partnership with trucking and will step up inspections and safety compliance reviews in the coming months.

She also said FHWA expects to decide by the end of April whether to negotiate new hours of service with trucking, safety groups and other parties. If the agency chooses the negotiations route, talks would be limited to one year. Otherwise, the agency will propose a rule by July.

The change in the agency’s direction was echoed by two other FHWA officials at a regional meeting of the American Trucking Association’s Safety Management Council last week who warned that more vigorous enforcement efforts are in the works.

Cirillo’s action reverses the direction taken by George Reagle, the former associate administrator of the highway agency. During his tenure, Reagle stressed education and cooperation with trucking to reduce the number of truck-related accidents and fatalities.

“The pendulum has swung too far toward partnering,” Cirillo said April 14 during a National Transportation Safety Board hearing on motor carrier safety at Georgetown University in Washington. “We need to do a better job on enforcement.”

For the full story, see the April 19 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.