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May 4, 1999 3:38 PM, EDT

Inspector General Kenneth Mead (right) and NTSB Chair Jim Hall. (TT Photo)

Calls for a separate modal administration to handle truck safety gained momentum with support from the Department of Transportation’s chief watchdog.

Kenneth Mead, the department’s inspector general, testified April 27 before the Senate Commerce Committee that he was leaning heavily toward backing the creation of a motor carrier safety administration. In his testimony, Mead, who has backed recent efforts to increase enforcement and compliance of highway safety laws, cited results from a five-month study his office conducted of the federal motor carrier safety program.

“In light of the increasing number of fatalities associated with large trucks, demand for truck drivers and enormous industry growth, the safety challenge will be larger and more urgent,” Mead said. “This situation justifies an agency with a clear, pre-eminent safety mission, free of the need to compete with other very important highway transportation department missions.”

He had another option: give the Federal Highway Administration time, say a year, to improve operations at the Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety.

Mead’s appearance at the hearing provided the first detailed analysis of a proposal to move jurisdiction over truck and bus safety from FHWA to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) has pushed for such a change since last year, when he failed to pass legislation to move the former Office of Motor Carriers to NHTSA.

For the full story, see the May 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.