Truck drivers will soon have a louder voice within the federal regulatory process.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Friday, Sept. 18, announced it is creating a new panel to its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) comprised of commercial motor vehicle drivers. A statement from the agency said the new panel will provide direct feedback to the FMCSA on issues facing the driving community such as safety, hours of service regulations, training, parking, and driver experience.
According to a statement from the agency, the panel is to comprised of 20 to 25 drivers from all sectors of the commercial vehicle driving industry including tractor-trailer drivers, straight truck drivers, motorcoach drivers, hazardous materials drivers, agriculture haulers, and others. FMCSA’s statement said its goal with the new driver panel is to capture what it called “the wide array of viewpoints and experiences within the driving community.”Details of when and how the panel will be created are yet to be worked out, according to an agency spokesperson.
“The Department of Transportation and this Administration believe in listening to our drivers and hearing their concerns directly,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Wiley Deck. “We know that many of the solutions to the challenges we face don’t come from Washington—they come from the hard-working men and women who are behind the wheel all over our nation. This new subcommittee to MCSAC will further help us hear from America’s commercial drivers,”